Kingdom by the Sea
by YoBeezy
Summary: He said he'd never see her again, but they both knew better. Itachi was never really good with promises anyway. Sequel to Nevermore.
1. The End of Everything

"_I've feared the best, loved the worst and have insisted that I go first. I've watched your eyes as they poured and I never really loved you more"_

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Chapter One:

"The End of Everything."

* * *

A weapon that is handled with skill and knowledge can be your best friend. It will protect you from the evil that rises over the valley, it will provide you with life when you find yourself with none, but best of all, it will never stray far from your side…

Her eyes lingered over the soft light that echoed off of the blade, tilting it with her hand and watching as it grew and shrunk back into the sharp metal. Brushing her fingertips along the fabric that sheathed the handle, she plucked a stray string and carelessly dismissed it to the floor. "Thank you, Shisui." The clouds shifted in the sky, revealing a full moon that hung higher than it usually did and the whole room was doused in cool light. Fluidly, she moved her arms out in front of her body, the blade gleaming as it defended her fully. "You knew him better than I could have ever given you credit for," she whispered and closed her eyes. All that was left now was to wait. Wait and prepare for the onslaught of heartbreak and betrayal that would come charging through her door at any second.

The birds outside her window cried out and flew as a flock into the darkening sky, their feathers fell silently to the cold earth outside. Her mouth deepened and her eyes snapped open, staring into the etchings of the wood archway waiting for him to come forth. She moved her feet back a few steps, suddenly feeling like she was waiting on the edge of a plummet, straight forth till the earth stole the life straight from her broken ribcage.

"Uchiha Hinamei, you look like a fool." A steely voice slithered in from the front of the house and crept up her skin like a dead man's fingertips. Her long eyelashes brushed upwards as she met the figure that stood motionlessly far in front of her. "What are you waiting for?"

"Don't be so cruel, you've come to kill me." The girl replied quietly, letting the ice touch her words. She refused to show him the fear he was looking for, damned if she would go down feeling like the coward she had lived her life as. "Haven't you?"

He took a step forward and tilted his head at her, letting a small smirk adorn his pale lips. "Why should I answer that? It looks as if you've already expected a battle. I wouldn't want to disappoint you now…" His slim fingers flexed upwards, bringing his arm upwards in a single fluid movement until his swift hand was wrapped around the handle of his blade that hung from his back. She watched warily as the blade slid upwards, bathed in silver light until it was held in front of him. Mirrored to her defensive stance. "I didn't expect this of you." He took another threatening step and she could feel the thin coat of sweat between the handle and her palm. "It's so unlike you to stand up for yourself." Itachi spit out his sentence with a trail of disgust, leering as he eyed her from the floor up.

"What a shame," the girl replied, bristling with anxiety as he stepped down her hall way. "This is exactly what I expected of you."

The air rung like bells as blades clashed and lovers united in a fit of battle torn betrayal.

This was, indefinitely, the end of everything.

* * *

Gentle, slender fingers ran the length of every raven strand of hair. Smoothing out all the small knots that somehow continued to find their way in, day in and day out. His eyes, however, were focused on the blank alabaster colored walls, unwavering and out of focus as his hands kept moving. A slight breeze drifted in from his open window, easing his taut nerves after the long and tedious mission he had just returned from. At this point, all he wanted was to be alone. Alone with his thoughts and meticulous ponderings, as he often did before he slept. A steady knock on his door frame however, broke his attention to the tall man that stood in the archway, unreadable as always. Itachi blinked, turned away and let his hand fall from his loose hair. "Madara," the younger Uchiha leaned back against his pillows casually as the former stalked into the room.

"I've been meaning to talk with you Itachi, it seems I've been made a fool of for quite some time. Unnoticed nonetheless." Itachi was forced to look into the blaring orange mask, the intensity in which his superior spoke was nearly startling. The bed moaned under the weight as Madara placed himself directly in front of the careful Uchiha.

"And this concerns me?" It was almost habit to activate his sharingan, Madara knew this well and didn't take the sudden change as a threat. Regardless, Itachi thought, Madara's sharingan had been displayed from the very start of this conversation. Both men sat opposite on the stiff bed, eyes never straying from the other's face until Madara spoke once more.

"Tell me about the night of the massacre again, will you?" The younger stiffened at his words, narrowing his eyes at the faceless man in front of him. "Any small details I may have missed, after all, we took opposite sides of the compound did we not?" Itachi lowered his head slightly and pulled his eyebrows together, trying to remember all the suppressed memories from that night. It was something he tended to ignore, after all it took three entire years for the nightmares to stop playing every night. And even then, they came back every once in a while, as vivid as always.

"Yes, I believe that is what we agreed on. But I'm afraid I'm not following where you're going with all of this." His voice came out colder than ice, Madara knew better than to talk about the massacre. Regardless of how long ago it all took place, the wound still felt tender to the touch to him. The masked man shifted, crossing his leg and placing his arm on it to rest his head in place. His fingers softly drummed against the thick material of his mask, averting his eyes towards the ceiling. The older tried his hardest to fight away the fury that was slowly starting to seep out of him but to no avail as he clicked his tongue impatiently.

"Let me put it this way, I've been hearing some unsettling news. Something I may have possibly overlooked…" Itachi quirked a slender brow and Madara growled lowly. "Have you ever heard of a technique called Yumeriku?"

"No, I haven't." Itachi replied dully, unphased by the quiver in Madara's voice.

"That's because it's not a very common technique. Besides being a very ancient and slow tool in battle, it's also very limited to the number of people who can use it." He flipped his hand upwards knowingly as he carried on. "You see, this technique is considered weak by most. No matter how strong it can be if wielded properly, it's much too soft to use on battle. Merciful. You wouldn't want your enemy to die painlessly would you?" Itachi looked away and Madara smirked, "I've heard rumors lately, that this particular technique is being used by someone out far west."

"I still don't understand what this has to do with anything regarding that night." Itachi's fingernails were digging into the soft flesh of his hand, irritated with Madara's vague and mysterious fashion of speaking. Madara straightened himself and directed his sights straight towards the rigid, cool mannered man in front of him. The scarlet glare of his Mangekyō could be seen through the small eyehole of his mask, challenging Itachi.

"This technique can only be used by someone with a certain bloodline limit. The sharingan to be more exact." Itachi visually stiffened, letting his eyes stray from Madara's face in what appeared to be guilt. Itachi knew better, he couldn't hide it for long. A part of him though hoped that it would go unnoticed at least until he saw the void of death. He closed his eyes and reopened them, calming himself down inwardly and displaying that monotone look for Madara to see he wasn't as surprised as Madara liked to think. "And we've been keeping all eyes on Sasuke, that boy's too vicious to use such a gentle technique anyway. So who is it Itachi?" A noticeable shift in the air occurred, smothering the once breathable conditions in unwanted tension. Itachi was boring holes into the walls by now with his eyes, thinking over in his mind the best way to handle such a fragile situation. A wide grin set onto Madara's thin lips, his eyes scrutinizing every movement Itachi let out. The gentle twitch near his mouth that showed he was irritated and holding back. The way his eyes focused on anything but that Mangekyō of Madara's. It was almost enough to make him laugh at the show as it took a lot to break Itachi of his calm and gentle façade. Regardless of how minor the effects seemed on the outside.

"Uchiha Hinamei, she wasn't worth killing at the time though. She's not a fighter, merely useless." Itachi said calmly, releasing the tension in his hands and looking up. Convincing Madara was not something he was going to do, either way Madara would make a decision based on his own wants, if he hadn't already made that decision. There was no use lying anymore.

"Then there would have been no inconvenience in killing her then, would there?" Madara pointed a finger at the younger Uchiha and shook it like he was scolding a child. "You like to make trouble for me, don't you Itachi? You're just as your name says, a weasel. Sly and sneaking like a rat, how fitting. That's why I like you though." Itachi's obsidian orbs flickered upwards towards Madara, curious to the amusement that touched at the edges of Madara's words. "And that's why you're going to fix this for me, I'm tired of obstacles. I want Kisame and yourself to find her and bring her back to me. I want to kill her personally just to make sure you don't slip up, again."

"I understand. What would you like me to tell Kisame then?"

Madara flicked his wrist and stood up, looking down on the young boy with an almost swelling of pride. "You're intelligent, think of something." And he left the room without uttering another word.

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**A/N:** So here it is, the highly anticipated sequel to Nevermore (or at least I like to pretend it is ;)

It's so short because I have a bad habit of making my first chapters into unsaid prologues. But not to worry, the other ones will be much longer. I just needed a short, to the point introduction. Reviews would be awesome, since it's the first chapter of a whole new story and all. But no pressure :)

And for new readers, **this story will make 0% sense if you don't read the first one, Nevermore.** So try it on, wear it out, then come back and take a peek. Thanks for all the support on the last story. I'm looking forward to seeing some of you guys back for seconds :D


	2. The Boy by the Sea

"_Watch me fly away, through the night sky. Now that all you touched has finally turned to gray."_

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Chapter Two:

"The Boy by the Sea."

* * *

The bottle touched the edges of her pink lips and with a tilt of her wrist the sake poured over her thirsting tongue. She couldn't help but make a sour face as she pulled the heavy glass away from her. "What a stupid, _stupid_ girl," she drawled out, letting her eyes fall out of focus. The seas became nothing more than a dark smear on an already dark background and a light laugh left her drunken mouth. Perched on the deck, she swayed the bottle around, listening as the drink went round and round in harmony with the wet shore. Even the moon, to any sober person would have been an obvious mirror image of the clear sky above but to her, all she saw was a splatter of light scored into the shifting ground. She was much too drunk to be this close to the water, much too lonely, much too sad, much too much of anything there was to make it a clear risk. "Once more," the bottle was lifted once again, "it can't hurt." But before the bottle reached her lips she hiccupped and fell back against the dock, eyes rolling back and gentle breathing echoing off her rising chest. A soft mumble left her mouth, heard by no one on the lonely night air and as she settled her face to the side she fell fast asleep into a drunken dream.

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Walking down the nearly empty street above the illuminated shore was a young boy with pale, wispy blonde hair. His bright blue eyes probed the quiet night air, waiting for any sign of anything. It had been a strange evening and he was starting to wonder if anyone actually occupied the village he had stumbled into. A slight breeze caught his wrists and he shoved his gloved hands farther into his pockets, the sea air was still a bit too much for him to handle. Waves crashed along the icy shores and he looked down as the illuminated waters washed upwards. He hadn't seen the sea's in such a long time, he breathed in that almost familiar smell and smiled. It had been good idea after all to come here. As he walked he let his eyes wander up the beaches until he found a dark dock with an odd figure sprawled at the end of it. The boy came to a sudden halt and quirked his eyebrow at the sight. If he wasn't mistaken, there seemed to be a person sprawled on the edge of the planks.

Blue eyes snapped open when a dark thought flitted to mind. From where he stood, whoever was laying out there almost appeared to be dead. Unmoving and laid out in an almost unnatural and painful position. His heart beat painfully against his ribcage, echoing off the silent night, it happened to be all he could hear. It was times like these he wondered what he was supposed to do. Save them? No, of course not, you can't save the dead. He looked towards his left then his right, hoping this could be someone else's problem. He wondered if he should even bother walking down there, after all there couldn't be anything he could do to help at this point. It was then the figure rolled over slowly, dipping half their face in the spilled sake that dripped through the wooden planks. He choked on his own conflicting thoughts.

So they weren't dead after all.

His booted feet pounded on the street until he reached the border of the sandy hill, white minerals spilling around his shoes as he slid down towards the dock towards what he now saw was a woman. His mind shot left and right, partially angry at himself for standing around and waiting till she roused. At least if she had rolled off the dock and drowned after he had left, it wouldn't have weighed on his shoulder like a ten ton block. The boy, as it was, was barely sixteen and traveling on his own away from home. He had enough to worry about without having to save a drunken wench's life. Idiot. He hit the base of the dock with a loud thud and raced towards the unconscious girl, "What do you think you're doing? You'll kill yourself being reckless like that!" Crumpling to his knees, he fell in front of her limp body. His hands wrapped around her wet hair and instinctively, he crinkled his nose at the stench. She wreaked of alcohol, something that didn't mix well with the salty scent of the sea air. "What now?" He asked himself, looking around for a sign of anybody. Not a single person but the two of them, he lowered his eyes back at the girl and sighed. Great, it was too late to abandon ship now.

She wasn't as tall as he had figured, nor as heavy. In fact just the opposite. Despite her long and flowing dress she weighed naught more than he did, and he was significantly shorter than she was. The boy cradled the older woman to his chest, she couldn't have been more than two years older than he and here she was drinking herself to death! _It's probably all she's got willing to stand next to her_, he thought sharply, grinning at his own crass attitude. After struggling up the sandy shore with the girl limp in his arms he finally made it to the street with lack of air. Slowly, he lowered her to the ground and watched helplessly as her head lolled sideways and she slumped down his leg. With a sigh he glanced up and down the road, farther south there was a poorly lit sign that was barely readable. With hopes high, he jolted her back into his grip, if it wasn't an inn she would just have to take to the streets instead. And if it was, well it was just for one night, once she sobered up she could pay him back. He looked down once more, watching with interest as she turned her face inward towards his chest. She was a fair looking woman, plain in his opinion. Dark hair and pale skin, she looked ghostly but in an almost, dare he say, classical way. Shaking his tousled locks around he brought his head back up towards the road, the sign became clearer and happily he realized it had been an old inn after all.

Upon walking into the double set of doors he gave a sour glower at the bewildered man behind the desk, almost dropping the girl in his arms as he spoke, "one room please, preferably with two beds."

After the shock left the man's frazzled face, he recovered quite loudly. "Now wait jus' a minute lad!" The older man stalked out from behind the desk and eyed him curiously, lowering his gaze until his eyes fell short on the sleeping woman. Before the innkeeper got a chance to speak the boy snarled in response.

"Hey, this isn't my broad old man! I just saved this girl's life, if you know her please, speak up!" The boy retorted angrily. He had gone out of his way as it was and here he stood being accused wrongly by a man with one blind eye. The nerve of some people, it truly amazed him. To his surprise the older man grunted and gave a short nod, moving a piece of brown hair out of the drunken girls face.

"Yeah, I know her alrigh'. Drunk again, eh?" The young boy shot him a smart stare and responded back with a sharp tongue.

"Your first clue?" He shook his head and bit back the growing impatience that was breaking through, "Look, you've got to understand. I've been walking for three days and I'm tired. Not to mention, this girl is covered in alcohol. It's not very pleasant you know." The innkeeper waved his hand in understanding, grabbing a key from behind the counter and motioning him to follow through a weathered door. Grunting in discontent, the young boy hitched the sleeping girl higher. Her head lolled back and her mouth fell agape. In fear she would choke he struggled her head up straight. "So tell me, who is she then?"

"That there is Tsukiyo-san, or to us villagers she's more well known as the reaper." The boy shifted uncomfortably and as well as he could, he held the girl farther away from his body. As if she was going to suck his soul out right then and there. The innkeeper threw a look back before breaking out in loud laughter. "Not to worry boy, she's a harmless lil' thing. She wandered in here over five years ago and since then she's granted a peaceful death to the sick and the old with some kind of ninja skill she learned overseas. A favor really is what she's doin. Now, I might know her but I'm sure I've never seen your face before." The boy perked up and smirked, hitching up Tsukiyo once more.

"I'm not from around here. Wandering about myself, traveling actually. You can call me Yukio."

"You got a last name boy?" Yukio shot a daring glare at the man before redirecting his eyes to the concrete corridor ahead of him.

"Not around these parts, I don't." The innkeeper stopped for a second before deciding it wasn't worth his time nor safety. After all, this village had a lot of strange ones wandering about and looking for a place to stay. It was secluded and innocent, not many came here looking for a vacation. This boy couldn't be too much of a threat and the old innkeeper told himself that over and over again. He didn't want trouble, never did. Unfortunately for him, trouble seemed to find him more often than he would have liked.

"Well, Yukio-chan, are you here to stay? In the village I mean." The man stopped at a door and whipped the key from under his sleeve, unlatching the lock all while keeping his still seeing eye latched onto the boys pale face. Yukio seemed to stumble on his words and at the same time he avoided all possible eye contact with the innkeeper.

"I don't know yet, this is the room then?" The man gave him a curious look but nodded in response. As the boy passed by he thanked the man and dropped the drunk girl on the bed. Not caring whether or not she bounced back painfully, it wasn't his problem any more. "Thank you…uh, I'm afraid I haven't gotten your name yet."

"It's Tobikuma," he grunted, waiting for the boy to respond. Instead Yukio gave a curt nod and stripped of his coat.

"Well, thanks for your generosity. I'll be leaving early in the morning, but I'll leave the pay on the desk." Tobikuma gave another hard grunt before shaking his head and turning around with a wave of his hand. Before he could say anything back, Yukio snatched the door key and shut the door, securing the lock. As he stripped of his clothing he patted himself down, knowing full well he didn't have enough money to pay for the room he had rented. He cast his eyes at the sleeping girl and suddenly, a grin cut across his young features. "What is that? You'll pay my expenses? How considerate of you." He spoke to himself as he sauntered over to the unconscious girl, slipping his hand down the sides of her arms he ran his fingers over a small bump around her wrist. He knew from experience that's where girls usually held their cash at, especially when shoved into a dress like the one she wore. Pulling her sleeve up he greedily opened the light linen bag and eagerly, groped around inside. It was empty, nothing but a few spiraled locks of string. Suddenly a scowl marred his face and he lowered his eyes. "Obviously, she's broke, lousy drunk." He walked towards the bathroom with his hands held out in front of him like a disease. After washing his hands he settled out of his outer clothes entirely and curled up on the bed across from his new partner in nothing but his undergarments. Her chest fell and rose softly, at first he was afraid she might get sick and choke but no matter he figured he had done enough already._ I'll get the money from her tomorrow one way or another, _he promised himself, _no way am I letting her leave without it._

He didn't sleep much that night, worry about this strange reaper girl had him sleeping on the edge. He watched her for most of the night, waiting for her to move or strike. But she never did, and soon sleep claimed him in the early hours of the morning. He woke with a rude start at a sudden movement and to his surprise the bed to his left was empty. "Oh, you're awake then." He snapped his head at the voice and narrowed his tired eyes. The woman looked even paler than she did the night before, he guessed she had already rid the alcohol from her system. Yukio looked away with a indignant pout and quickly averted his eyes out the window. The sun was already up and staining the room in the soft glow of late morning.

"Dammit, I was supposed to be up early!" He flung the blankets from his legs and tore off of the bed, soon stopped however as the ghostly woman stepped in front of him. Her hands were held out at length, blocking his hurry.

"Calm down, I've already paid Tobikuma-san if that's what you're worried about." She waved her hand by his face in dismissal and sat herself on his bed in a tired sort of fashion. "Please, sit." When he didn't she left him with a glare and grudgingly, he sat back down as far from her as he could manage. "Tell me boy, what am I doing here?" His face reddened with an obvious rage and he found himself standing on his feet once more.

"You're here because of me, wench! Do you remember anything from last night, I suppose you wouldn't considering you drank yourself into a mindless stupor! I couldn't exactly just leave you there, what would happen if you rolled off the dock?" A light laugh left her rosy lips and she opened her deep charcoal eyes at him. It shut him up momentarily before he was gritting his teeth again. "What the hell is so funny?"

"It's nothing, really. I've never met someone so considerate and yet, you're completely intolerable. But seriously, lower your voice. I'm afraid I've got quite the hangover." She fell back against the bed with a loud thump and sighed. "If it's any consolation to you kid, I wouldn't be able to leave without giving you a proper thanks." She peeked at him from under her slender hand and grinned almost painfully. "So tell me, what do you need?" A slight mumble left his mouth and as his eyes brightened he turned towards her once more with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Have you got a place to live lady?"

She answered with a scowl, "I do have a name brat, it's Tsukiyo. And for your information I do have a small house near the waters edge. Why? Are you looking for a place to hide, hm?" He shuffled backwards and fidgeted nervously, so much for his cool demeanor.

"What? No! Are you implying I'm some kind of run away? Look I just need a place to sleep for a couple of nights, do that and we'll forget all about me saving your pathetic excuse for a life," he ended it with a smirk. "And besides, you could probably use the help." But she waved him off nonchalantly and stood up, still swaying about.

"Fine, fine, just stay out of my stuff and I'll be nice." Ten minutes into meeting this woman and already he couldn't stand her. "Now, what's your name?"

"Like I would tell you." He replied almost immediately and judging by the off look that suddenly swept across Tsukiyo's face she wasn't expecting it. Immediately following, she shrugged him off and walked off towards the bathroom.

"Then I suppose brat will have to do. It really does fit you." Before he could respond she slid shut the bathroom door and the sound of running water filled the room. Cautiously, he stood, wondering if maybe he should just make a run for it. Maybe living off the streets for a few days was better than staying with some wayward drunk. But before he could even so much as finish the thought the bathroom door slid open and a tumble of brown hair fell downwards. "Oh, and don't even consider leaving this room. I've already asked Tobikuma-san to call the police force if he sees you wandering around by yourself. See, they don't know you. A stranger's word against my own? Please, you'll be dead in less than a minute." She pulled back and the door shut, leaving Yukio in a stunned state. _That bitch,_ he thought suddenly, falling back against the bed with his lip torn between his teeth.

While she bathed he took the liberty of cleaning up, not to mention going through the small objects she had laid out on her beside table. Aside from the first empty bag, he realized she had another bag that carried her money in it. _Must of had it in a pocket,_ he thought as he shuffled through it. Empty, the hotel had completely cleaned her out. Alongside the two sacks was a semi-precious stone hung on a necklace, he wrapped his slender fingers around it before setting it back down. The water had turned off.

Tsukiyo stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her slender body. She narrowed her eyes at him and when he opened his eyes wide in mock innocence she scoffed, "don't act so naïve, get out of my things. Trust me, it may look expensive but all it holds is sentimental value. Now wait in the bathroom, I've got to get my clothes on. We'll head to my house immediately after, understood?" Before he could retort however, she was pushing him into the bathroom. With one last hard shove he fell onto the damp tile, face first.

"What the he-" the door slid shut in his pink, flustered face. This was going to be a bigger challenge than he was up for. He waited impatiently on the edge of the bathtub, hitting his foot against the floor, "come on, it doesn't take that long to slip a dress on!" Suddenly the door slipped open in front of him and he was faced with a bigger issue.

A very distressed looking Tsukiyo.

"I didn't realize until now how bad this dress smells. Like I bathed in alcohol, I can't go anywhere smelling like this!" But Yukio stood up tall and grabbed her by the dress until their faces were but inches apart.

"Look lady, I don't have the time or the patience to be dealing with this kind of nonsense. Now, take me to your house, you can get changed there." He led her over to the table where he grabbed her things and shoved them into her open palm. Before she could speak he was dragging the blushing Tsukiyo out of the hotel room and into the warm sunlight. "How far is it to your house?" He asked as he led them to the portion of the main road.

"Not too far, oh, and I can walk myself thank you." She said as she yanked her hand back and rubbed it. Her dark eyes washed over to the boy and she smirked as he sniffed gingerly at his gloves. His own blue orbs narrowed and he plucked his gloves off grudingly.

"You've made these smell too, _disgusting."_ He shoved them deep into his pockets and turned to walk back towards the road. As he muttered he didn't see Tsukiyo raise her hand in warning and he collided with an older woman. His hands wrapped around her arms to stable her and he stilled, blinking at the surprise strewn across her softly etched face. He muttered an apology an released her arms like they had shocked him. The woman's surprised eyes left Yukio and she smiled at Tsukiyo.

"Tsukiyo-san, just the person I was looking for. What are you doing here?" The brown haired girl smiled broadly at her welcome and she bowed, letting soft curls fall over her shoulder like water.

"Ohayo Sakibi-san! I was uh, visiting my brother!" She tacked on helplessly. "He stayed here last night," she replied, motioning to the growing impatient boy by her shoulder. He shot her an odd look before giving a half sort of wave at the curious woman. "Sakibi-san, this is…" Tsukiyo cast her head over her shoulder and gave a pleading look at the boy, he frowned in response. Pushing past the flustered girl he bowed at the older woman and looked up into her face with mixed feelings.

"Yukio, it's a pleasure to meet you Sakibi-san but I'm afraid we've got a very important appointment to catch." The older woman raised her hand to say something more but it was already too late, Yukio was already pulling back on his gloves and had his hand firmly around Tsukiyo's wrist.

"Hey! She wasn't done talking to me!" Tsukiyo cried out as they turned the corner of the building.

"Really, it's not worth it don't worry." Before the girl could hurl a retort he continued, "she wanted to know if you could see her sister. Her sister has got a brain clot and was told she'd die within the week, the old hag wanted you to work your voodoo." At first she felt the need to continue until she stopped her thoughts short at noticing how strange it was that he even knew that. Without saying anything she stopped walking and dislodged herself from his grip, staring at him curiously. He only stared blatantly back and waved his hand in dismissal. "Don't bother asking. You smell remember? Please, lead the way." He extended a hand towards the road and with another tight scowl she pressed forward. Maybe it was the alcohol still in the system or maybe it was just because it wasn't her day, but she was angry-

Angry at Yukio, angry at the sake being gone-hell, she was angry at the world.

Her knuckles turned white at the edges as she clenched her fists tightly, the truth was she wanted to help Sakibi. She wanted to help the sick, the dying, the frail. It was the only thing that made her feel right, the only peace she had ever been able to bring. And here stood this high and mighty child ruining it all. "Yuhiko?"

"You're saying it wrong, it's Yukio." He replied hastily, sparing her a look that just screamed idiot.

"Whatever, look, if you're going to be staying with me I expect you mind your manners. And if that means keeping that big mouth of yours shut then by all means, do it. Is that understood?" She turned her head slightly, giving him a view of what she looked like angry and still slightly under the influence.

"Of course, princess Tsukina."

"It's Tsukiyo, brat." With a tilt of his head she caught a smirk and then he actually had the nerve to scoff.

His blue eyes wandered over slowly towards her, challenging her glare with his own bristling self confidence. With another smug grin for her to feast her resentful eyes on he replied, "whatever."

* * *

**A/N: **I got such awesome reception on the first chapter, I couldn't believe it! Thanks to everyone who commented me and said such very nice things :') it means so much to me.

Okay, now that I'm done going on and on, I hope this next chapter is just as pleasing as the last one. I've introduced another new main character. Personally, I love him to bits. If you give him a chance I know you will too later on ;) And it also gives you a taste of our main maiden now that she's been traumatized and forced into adulthood.

**Sivynia**: She's not the type to become like Sasuke, I couldn't ever do that to her. Personally, half the time I just want to punch Sasuke in the face for being such a baby (even if it's deserved). Ah, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that!

And everyone else that commented, thanks you for sounding so happy. Seriously. I love it. In the next upcoming chapters you'll be able to see more of what actually happened in my gigantic time skip and more into Yukio's character, and best of all-Itachi!


	3. The Secret's Out

Chapter Three:

"The Secret's Out."

* * *

When she had said she had a small house he had taken it for what it sounded like. As he stood in front of the eyesore on the sand he glared over at her, she should have mention it was more of a shanty than a house. She glowered over at him and with a small huff looked away indignantly. "I know it doesn't look like much but it's really not that bad." With a sigh he redirected his eyes at the door, after all, he had stayed in much worse places than this. Tsukiyo bounded up the small set of steps and opened up the door like a palace, she wore a wide grin and her eyes were closed with delight. "Now, for the grand tour!" He followed slowly, even if his instincts were telling him he'd be better off in an alley. Once he stepped inside however, he realized it wasn't as bad as he had initially thought. It looked smaller on the outside and if it hadn't been for all the junk she had piled up in various corners, it might have actually been a comfortable place to stay. "So remember the rules, don't touch my things. Don't steal anything," she cast him an all knowing look and sourly he looked away. "And don't bother me when I'm working." She walked past him and opened up a small door, revealing a comfortable room with a bed that looked two sizes too small for even him. "This will work I assume?"

"Yeah, that'll work." He scuffled past her and threw himself on the bed. It creaked loudly and she grinned madly as he sighed in exasperation.

"You get used to it, all the furniture does that." She slipped a loose piece of coiled hair behind her ear and examined Yukio with softer eyes. He glanced up and quirked a brow, before he could response she shook her head and turned away. "You're not in real trouble are you?" His eyes slipped to the floor and she nodded in response. "Keep up the brother act and you'll be fine. Don't worry, everyone's got secrets around here." Dreamily, she drifted away from him and wandered away out of sight. Once her footsteps were out of range he stood back up and meandered over to the doorway, peering over he concluded she must have hid herself away in her own room. Carefully as to avoid the creaking floor boards, he crept into the kitchen and turned on the faucet till the water ran hot. As he plucked his fingers from his gloves he glanced around the room. She had a lot of books and scrolls lying open faced on the floor, dead flowers and brushes too. The house had a distinct smell, like burning paper and sickness, it was almost unnerving as those distinct smells brought back unpleasant thoughts. As he tore his mind away he scrubbed vigoriously at his gloves until the water ran clear and they smelled pleasantly like the milky soap that she had next to the sink. He wrung them out and placed them on the counter, hoping they would dry soon. Yukio stuck his damp hands into his pockets and stepped into the living room, sparing a glance back to make sure she wasn't around, he wandered over mischieviously to a tall blade that hung by a broken bookshelf.

It was a long katana that was black with blue etchings. And as where it looked worn it was definitely in good shape. A small smirk took way on his lips and he gingerly removed his hand from the linen. _Just one peek..._ his fingertips were but a second away from the handle when the sound of her voice wavered in from the back of the house. Sharply, he turned around just in time to meet her dark eyes. "Did you hear me?" He coughed into his hand and shook his head quickly. His suspicious behaviour was overlooked and she asked again if he was hungry.

"Now that you mention it," he held his hand to his stomach as it ached. He was starving, it wasn't until then did he realize he hadn't eaten in nearly two days. She nodded happily and swept up into her cupboards mindlessly. As she worked in the kitchen, Yukio sat on the couch and looked out the window deep in thought, still afraid to let his hands wander freely, he kept them tightly fisted in his pockets. Tsukiyo's prying voice soon invaded his mind though and he was torn away from the soothing sounds of waves.

"How did you know Sakibi-san wanted me to see her sister earlier?" With irriation hot on his brain, he looked away and frowned. Couldn't anything be done in silence?

"We all have secrets don't we? I'm not telling you anything." Her eyes looked at the floor and then back at him, determination scrawled across her face.

"It's some kind of technique isn't it? A Kekkei Genkai?" With shock he snapped his head back at her, stuttering on his words he clawed desperatly at an answer.

"What the hell would you know!" He finally managed to spit out, with a sullen attitude back on his brow he slunk deep into the cushions of the couch. "Keep talking, you can guess all you like, I'm still not telling you." Tsukiyo smirked at herself and slapped a spoonful of food on a plate before pushing it in his direction on the counter.

"Whatever kid, here's your lunch." She watched coyly on as he waltzed over like a shy cat and gingerly took the plate from the counter. It wasn't the best but he was so ravenous, the minute the food touched his lips he found himself shovelling it into his mouth. "You'll choke eating like that." Tsukiyo chewed her food slowly, eyes never straying from the young boy's face. He was handsome, the way his pale hair framed his face. He had bright eyes, ones that normally would have looked dull had he not had some life shoved back down into his throat. She smiled to herself, betting that he looked much better without a scowl marring his pale lips. She couldn't help but worry though, what a kid his age could have gotten in so deep he was stowing away with her. It was obvious, she defintely wouldn't have been his first choice. "Yukio?" His blue eyes sprang up and he swallowed, allowing a small 'hm' to escape before he continued to eat. "Can you atleast tell me where you're from?"

He swallowed the last of his food and he pushed the plate ahead of him. With his hands shoved firmly into his pockets again, he sighed and closed his eyes. "Is there a reason you care?" Tsukiyo's eyebrows knitted together and she looked away, putting her own food down.

"Not in particular no, but I'd like to feel like I wasn't living with a total stranger." She huffed and crossed her arms, the _least_ he could do was tell her that. Yukio leaned his head back and cockily smiled at the girl's indignant pout. He sat himself back on the couch.

"If I tell you where I'm from will you answer a question about yourself?" She hesitated for a moment but in return she nodded and set herself up eagarly to hear. Yukio shut his eyes and let the memories come forth. he tried hard to not think about his home. All he had abandoned, had feared. It was all too painful, but she wasn't asking for a story. "There's a small village, on the border between the land of fire and stone. It's called the village of smoke, not a lot of shinobi, but there are a few treasured clans there that were once used as a military force. Now, they settle more on espionage than that." His eyes fell and he bit back a shiver. That damned village.

"Where you a shinobi?" Yukio flashed his eyes towards her and with a tight frown snapped coldly.

"I would never follow trash like that!" Tsukiyo's eyes widened and she looked away uncomfortably, obviously, this was a tender subject. Yukio's eyes briefly looked regretful and he quietly muttered a sorry. She didn't know better. As if to change the subject, he sat back up and smiled a little broader. Easing back into the relaxed state of the house. "Where are you from?" Her biting black eyes snapped back up and slightly, her eyebrows tilted up sadly. She waved a hand in front of her face and grinned.

"Oh, just some small tea village. I don't even think it exists anymore, I've been traveling for a while now. I don't really have a home, really." She leaned back up and brushed her hair back with one hand. Nervously, she smiled sweetly. "I'm feeling pretty faint, would you mind if I take a quick nap? I'll be working late tonight." Yukio shrugged her off and she slunk off uneasily. Yukio sighed and bit back a complaint. She was weird, and hiding something. With a grin he assured himself, he'd find out.

* * *

They were surrounded by endless trees and wild flora, everything a ripe, lush shade of green. As it shivered in the icy breeze, Kisame took a deep breath and inhaled the clean, crisp air. "You seem colder than usual." His pitch black eyes slithered towards his partner, and he met the sullen man's face with a sharp grin. "Itachi, is there something you're not telling me?" The said Uchiha kept his eyes in front of him, hardly acknowledging the presence of his companion save for a small glimpse to the side from under the straw hat.

"It's nothing." He finally replied, Kisame nodded satisfyingly. Each step they took echoed off of the silent forest walls. They were, for miles, the only people occupying this forest. Aside from the occasional snap of fabric on the breeze, they hadn't made much noise since they started. Which wasn't an unusual occurence, Itachi hardly spoke to anyone. And if he did, it wasn't often a good thing. Kisame was worn, he wouldn't admit it though. He had just returned from a tiring mission when Itachi came to him and told him they were leaving _again._ He hadn't been too pleased as there were two other groups not doing anything in particular then. But now that he was out, he realized this was more of a break than being back at the base.

"What is our objective again?" He asked gruffly, watching as two birds flew violently around each other. Itachi raised his head and looked over at Kisame, he hadn't been very clear on the mission when he first told him about it. It was difficult to trick Kisame, he was almost as attentative as Itachi was.

"We're looking for a girl with a specific ability, we are to bring her back unharmed." Itachi tacked on sternly. Madara hadn't actually said that, but if Itachi was in charge of this mission, not a finger would touch her. Unless she chose to fight back, then he might have no choice. "She's supposedly occupying a small shipping village far out west." Kisame nodded knowingly, still, it wasn't a lot of information.

"You don't know anything about her? What she looks like, what her ability is, hell, how old she even is?"

"She's around eighteen and she's able to drain the life force out of people with a special genjutsu." Kisame grunted and strode forward on.

"Sounds boring." He didn't ask anymore questions. Itachi seemed confident, which meant Kisame needed not to worry about how the mission would go. He didn't have a doubt in his head that Itachi would find this girl and bring her back like they had been told. That's what he liked about working with Itachi. He never failed to do what he was told. Unlike some of the others. They were unpredictable and rash, in his opinion, they might have wanted to learn a thing or two from the Uchiha. Even if most of them didn't like him. The small tinkle of bells rang out and Itachi suddenly stopped. He tilted his head behind him and from under his cloak, his fingers gripped the end of a kunai.

"There are three thiefs, waiting to ambush." His scarlet eyes darted from the left to the right from under his hat. "There are more coming." Kisame's hand slithered to the hilt of his blade and he grinned.

"About time something exciting came along." He let out a loud, chilling laugh and stepped behind Itachi. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

* * *

Yukio sat on his bed with his arms behind his head, his legs were crossed at the ankle and his eyes were fixated on the ceiling. Tsukiyo was busying herself around the house, incense had been lit and was making his head spin, but it took the smell of sickness away. She hadn't spoken to him yet but he didn't mind, he liked her better with her mouth shut anyway. The sun was beginning to set now, dousing the house in a soft light that painted everything in shadows. As far as he knew, she was preparing for work. Like Tobikuma had told him, helping the sick and the old. By killing them. He had wanted to ask but instead he decided he would sneak a peek instead. She probably wouldn't have told him anyway. There was a slow, soft knock on the front door and he turned his attention to the living room. Tsukiyo bustled towards the door, dressed in a simple black, kimono style dress. She hastily opened the door and bowed deeply. An old woman stepped through the threshold, shaking nervously. Beside her a woman, presumably her daughter, stepped in looking even paler.

"Tsukiyo-san," the younger woman bowed and took Tsukiyo by the hand. "Are you sure it will be painless?" Softly, Tsukiyo laid her slender hand on top of the others and smiled sweetly.

"She'll feel better than she has in years, and she won't even know what's going on." She nodded hastily, pulled away and hugged her frail mother softly. Whispering tender words into her ear, she pulled away with small tear streaks on her cheeks. Yukio looked away uncomfortably and fixated his eyes back on the ceiling. Goodbyes never failed to make him nasueous. When last words had been shared, the daughter left the house in a hurry. Tsukiyo said some small words and walked out of view. But only briefly, as she appeared in his doorway a second later. Her long brown hair was swept up into a bun, eyes dangerously dark she eyed him reproachfully. "You can't come out while I'm working, understood?" He nodded tiringly, not sparing her a glance. With that being said, she pulled the door shut roughly and left him again to his own thoughts.

It was oddly quiet and soon his curiousity was peaking quite dangerously. Gently, he slithered off the bed and made to the door, placing his ear firmly against the peeling wood. Nothing. His hand groped around for the doorknob and slowly, he turned it. The door whined and he winced, slowing his speed until the tiniest sliver of the living room leaked in. From what he could see, the old woman was sprawled out on the floor and Tsukiyo was still bent over her, wobbling back and forth.

Her eyes were shut and she didn't notice as the door fell all the way open. The smell of burning cherrywood burned his eyes and he waved a hand in front of his face before he stepped into the threshold. Something was off. Tsukiyo was in a dreamlike state, shutting the world out. The woman on the floor wore a small smile on her wrinkled face and every now and then her fingers would twitch. Aside from the tension in the air it all seemed terribly boring. Until Tsukiyo's neck snapped back and she opened her mouth slightly at the ceiling. He stilled, watching as her eyes rolled back and a slight shake overwhelmed her body. The woman on the floor went instantly limp and a small panic bloomed in his chest, was this what was supposed to be happening? Tsukiyo sucked in a shivering breath and slowly her neck fell back down to normal height. Her eyes snapped at Yukio and instantly, he felt his body tense up with fear.

The normally warm dark of her eyes had now turned a flaming scarlet. They were full of power and anger and the look on her face was enough to startle him back into the room. He slammed the door shut and held his back to it. Her eyes, that was by no means normal. Each breath came out ragged and sharp, and he finally understood why she wanted him to stay out of the ceremony. Because she was a complete monster. His eyes grew wide, the whole situation finally crashing down on him. She could kill him, easily. If he didn't get away he was surely going to get punished for not following her direct orders. And with the eyes of a demon he didn't dare want to take any chances. Frantically, his eyes searched the room. There was a small window above his bed, large enough to squeeze through if he was desperate enough. He cast his bright blue eyes back at the door and cringed. He was beyond desperate. He was running for his life now.

Never had he seen such hateful eyes as he had then, burning bright with regret and pain. And with her temper, he wouldn't put it past her to lose it and go wild. He jumped on the creaking bed and worked his fingers on the old style latch. When the window flew open towards the chilled night air, he placed both hands on the window sill to hoist himself up. But he lost all hope when his bedroom door slammed open. "What the hell did I tell you!" Yukio yelled loudly and tried hard to wiggle through, but she grabbed a firm hold on his ankle and pulled until he lost balance and fumbled to his bed. He looked up with sharp eyes but didn't say anything as she glowered down at him. Her eyes had returned to their normal charcoal hue. "You idiot. You could have gotten pulled into the genjutsu if you weren't careful!" She stormed backwards and held a hand to her forehead. "And I wouldn't have been able to stop." Her shoulder slumped against the doorframe and she closed her eyes. The dizzy spells were coming now and she wouldn't be able to stand much longer. When the energy finished flooding her body, she'd fall into a slight comatose and would have no hope in getting back into her room by herself.

"Y-you're eyes, they were red! What the hell happened out there?" After recovery from the shock of her small outburst, he stood up off the bed and pointed an accusing finger out towards the living room. "Was that some kind of Kekkei Genkei?" His face lit up, slightly excited that she wasn't planning on murdering him and that he had come a little bit closer to figuring the girl out. But he was left wordless when she slid down the doorway and slumped to the ground, eyes dazed over in a heavy dreamlike state that had even him staring. "Tsukiyo...?" She tilted her head back up at him and placed a finger to her mouth, telling him to keep quiet.

And she closed her eyes to the room for good this time.

While she slept, Yukio sat on his bed and tried to make the best of his time. He was trapped in his room, with Tsukiyo against the door and the old lady's dead body in the living room, he didn't have many places to go. He sucked on his fingertip, deep into thought when finally the girl stirred in her sleep. She sat up and blinked, eyes wide and confused as she met Yukio's bright blue eyes. Her hand loftily drifted to her neck and with the slight daze worn off, her eyebrow ticked in anger. "You couldn't even move me?" Yukio shrugged and pulled his finger out of his mouth.

"You creeped me out," he said nonchalantly, as if that explained everything. She tossed her eyes upwards and moved her stiff body to best of it's ability. When she had stretched out back to normal she tossed the boy and sly grin and cocked her head to the side. He didn't like that look on her face and edgily, he felt back up against the wall. "You're doing it again."

"Since your up brat, you can help me move the body. It's just another piece of clutter sitting out there." Instantly, his hands were up in refusal.

"Not going to happen. That's your mess, not _my_ problem." She cast him a dry look and muttered something about her house, instantly he knew where she was headed. "If I help you...will you answer my questions?" The bed creaked as he shimmied to the side, kicking his legs out eagerly. He rested his chin on his palm and grinned up at her quite mischieviously. "Tit for tat?" Despite his efforts, she turned away and snorted in response.

"Forget it, I'll do it myself." She left him blinking at the empty doorframe as she meanadered into the hall way. Often times, with the bodies, she placed them outside on a small alter she had built two years ago. It gave the family a place to pray before they took the remains back with them. It was a small gesture, but it never went unnoticed. Unfortunately, this was the part she always hated. Before starting, she decided to change clothes. The ritual outfit she wore was stiff and made of material that wasn't kind to her sensitive skin. Eagerly, she pulled herself out of it and slipped into her common day work clothes. For ease of fighting or in her case, drinking. It never really made a difference, not anymore. She left the room, ignoring Yukio's lazy yawning as she passed his doorway and stepped over to the cold body on the floor.

She never really saw what they did as they died, those last fleeting moments of death, they had to really say something about a person. But she supposed she didn't mind too much, if was morbid enough to be consuming their life energy, she didn't need to impose much more than that. Tsukiyo bent down and gently smoothed back the woman's fraying hair. Her hands gently folded to the back of the neck and knee and with as much strength as she could muster, she hoisted the dead woman up in her arms. It wasn't as honorable as one would want, but they couldn't ever say it wasn't intimate. The feel of a corpse in your arms is unlike any other. You can hold a person, feel the soft echoes of their breath leaving their chest, the dead are all too different. They are cold and heavy, like a metal shell that once contained a soul, they aren't anything now but an empty package.

And people wondered why she drank.

She struggled out the back door and onto the walkway towards the alter. The papery feel of the dead woman's skin brushed up against her shirt and she repressed a shiver. When she reached the alter, Tsukiyo softly laid the bodied out and carefully rearranged the body like one would into a casket. "She looks like she's sleeping." Her bright eyes brushed backwards and met Yukio, but his eyes weren't focused on her. "How do you do it?" He stepped closer and gently ran a gloved finger over her skin, wincing slightly before drawing back almost frightened. When his eyes met hers she found herself stumbling on words. It wasn't like she had never been asked but this was different.

He wasn't afraid of her like most people were. He was interested for reasons of his own and like her, she knew he had a dirty bag of secrets just willing to spill out. Tsukiyo turned back around and rested her eyes on the old woman who just thirty minutes before had been trembling with the last remanents of life. She sighed and brushed stray pieces of hair away from her damp forehead. Yukio had already seen her sharingan, and were as he hadn't a clue what it was, other people would if he told.

She was left with no other choice but to trust him.

"I'll make the tea, and then we'll talk."


	4. The Reaper, Tsukiyo

Chapter Four:

"The Reaper, Tsukiyo."

* * *

Small ripples tore through his cup of tea from center point, he watched his reflection blur in and blur out with every tremble of his hand. Over and over in his head he tried to tell himself he wasn't afraid. No, he was just uneasy. The dead made him nervous, that was normal wasn't it? Tsukiyo had yet to speak, instead she sat on the ground in front of him, swirling the contents of the bottle round and round. Apprently, she wasn't a conventionalist. Tea just wasn't her style. She took another large sip before placing the bottle between her outstretched legs and opening with a sigh of defeat. "What do you want to know exactly?" Yukio's attention tore from his cup and he frowned, still shaken.

"First, tell me about your technique. I've never seen anything like it." She raised her eyebrow and leaned forward.

"Will you tell me about yours then? If we're being honest with each other, might as well let it all out now." He answered with a shrug and she slunk back. Despite not knowing him long she knew he normally wouldn't have given up that easy. Something was really bothering him. She looked away and let her eyes loiter on the katana in the corner. Yukio reminded her of Shisui. His biting sarcasm and crude humor, it sent her reeling back. But quickly, she cleared her throat and looked back up. That was a corner of her mind she couldn't revisit just yet. "Alright. But before we start this I need your word. Nobody can know about this, not a single soul. I'm trusting you kid." She gave a sharp look and he responded back with a smirk.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll keep quiet." With a satisfied nod she leaned back and picked the bottle back up. She had only talked about this to one other person and now, her secrets lied in the grave with him. She was either being gut wrenchingly brave or utterly moronic. She guessed she'd find out soon enough.

"Have you ever heard of the Uchiha clan?" His ears perked and he looked up momentarily, trying hard to remember where he had heard that name from. Her eyes were latched onto his face and finally, he blinked dumbly.

"It sounds familiar. I can't quite place it though, are they special or something." She grinned and took another long swig.

"Well they might have been, if they weren't all dead." The words stung deep, rupturing a long untouched part of her heart. All she could do was give a half hearted smile and admire the soft rolling warmth blooming in her chest as she drank. Yukio's eyes lit up and he leaned forward, putting his tea on the table in front of them.

"Now I remember! About five years ago wasn't it? Everyone talked about, they all though that crazy guy who did it was going to come and kill their clans too. But what does that have to do with you?"

"Well, that was my clan." Yukio stilled for a slight second then looked away uncomfortably. He responded with a small, 'oh' and leaned back into the seat. She smiled up at him and forced herself to ignore the pain. "But that's not what we're talking about. The sharingan comes from the Uchiha clan, and with that I can see a lot more than say, someone like you could. My technique is based on a very old and boring genjutsu. But with my eyes, I can manipulate it into doing what I want. And that's exactly what I do." She paused to take another drink before continuing. "I drain their life force from their body until they have none and their dead." She shrugged her shoudlers like it was nothing and Yukio repressed a shiver.

He wasn't afraid, just uneasy.

"Does it hurt them?" He asked quietly. She glanced up and quickly shook her head.

"No, actually it's quite the opposite. You see, as I'm pulling them under they experience a sort of hallucination, based on their deepest wants and fantasies. It's a very peaceful outgoing for them, much better than if they died from illness and pain." Her eyes glossed over and she leaned her head back. "It's the only peace I could ever offer. The one thing in my life I've found I have control over." Before things got too serious though she pulled her mind out of the darkness and smiled at Yukio. He looked back warily. "So what about you? What's your big secret?" He grinned, plan falling into action.

"Your sword, can I see it?" Tsukiyo glanced at it before sighing and stepping upwards to grab it.

"Be careful please, that sword means more to me than anything else."

"That's even better. Sit and shut up, I need to concentrate." He had no intentions on telling her his plans, especially now knowing that she came from a dead clan. She had a much bigger story to tell, one she probably wouldn't be sharing anytime soon. But he wanted to know, he needed to. As of yet, he still didn't trust her. And if there was one thing he knew coming from where he did, the more you have against a person the more they will succumb to your will. He slipped his hands from his gloves and flexed his slender fingers out. His mind was blank and he focused in on the katana that was in her hand. Slowly, he outstretched his fingers and snapped his eyes open. "Give it to me."

Most people didn't realize it, but objects had their own set of memories. The more they see and expierence, the more they retain. And people in his clan used that to their ability. With one touch of his hand, he could see what her sword had and he could relive what she wouldn't tell him. That soft electric feel fluttered at the end of his fingertips and he reached out for the cold handle of her well used sword.

He was going to find out about her, whether she liked it or not.

* * *

She had been walking for days now. Every step she took the ground burned into the raw soles of her feet, reminding her how far she still had to go. Her eyes were dull, and unblinking, she continued numbly on through the trees. "Never again, never again..." her voice cracked and she stumbled until her shoulder hit the trunk of an aging tree. Her almost swelled shut cut reopened and she hissed with pain, clutching helplessly at her arm. Unwillingly, she slumped to the ground and shuddered a deep breath. How much more of this she could take she didn't know. Not much longer than a couple days or so though, eventually she would die out here. Sleep was going to grip her and desperately she snapped her eyes back open and stumbled upwards again.

Whatever she did she could not sleep. She wouldn't dare face those demons again, those horrible nightmares that always came the second her lids clamped shut. It was unbearable.

Hastily, she stumbled onwards through the trees, fingers trailing the flora that danced around her legs and hips. Where she was going, she didn't even know anymore. But it was useless, the trees around her swam together until they were just dark smears on a backdrop. Her eyes were floating round and eventually she would have to claim unconsciousness. It would take her no matter how hard she tried. The young girl fell to the ground with visions of her dead clan swimming in her mind, and those cold scarlet eyes, never blinking as they watched on so mercilessly.

She woke to the sound of water. Its soft splashing drawing her out of oblivion, she blinked and was instantly blinded with the cerulean skies abover her. "What..." Her fists rubbed helplessly at her eyes and she opened them again. There wasn't a single cloud marring the bright skies that day.

"I thought you'd never wake up." A deep voice spoke from in front of her and weakly, she pulled herself up to meet her companion. He was an older man with lanky dark brown hair. His eyes were soft and black, looking back at her with a sort of sympathy she remembered seeing way too much of when she was younger. As she pulled her eyes away from him she took in her surroundings. Nothing but miles and miles of dark blue ocean.

"But I was-" She blinked back up at him, remembering seeing the cold forest ground last. "How did..." She bit her lip and pulled her legs in closer to her chest, tears prickling at the edge of her vision. Now she was even farther away from anything she knew, no way back and no way forward. The last thing she wanted then.

"I couldn't just leave you there, you definietly would have died if I had." Hinamei tore her head up and with as much strength as she could muster, she screamed.

"That would have been better than this!" A sob tore into her chest and she threw her head back down into the crook of her elbows. The man looked at her with sympathy, knowing full well she was mentally untouchable then. Her frame was smaller than it should have been, she hadn't eaten in a while and the stress, she looked paler than snow. A sign that didn't look healthy to even his untrained eye. "You don't understand, being eaten by birds was what I wanted. I haven't got a single thing to live for now." The man at the front of the boat sighed and stepped away from the wheel. He kneeled down in front of the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. She jerked away violently but still refused to look at him.

"What's your name?" He pressed on but again she stumbled over trying to avoid his touch.

"I haven't got a name anymore! Now what do you want with me!" Her voice was shrill and dry and with another sigh he stood tall and walked over back to his standing place. With the wheel back in between his hands he looked over a the sea's horizon.

"In the lower deck there's food. You're hungry, maybe after you eat we can talk." Hinamei stilled but the offer of food was one even she couldn't resist at this point. Weakly, she stood and wobbled over to the door that led to the lower deck. As she made her way down the dimly lit stairs she peeked down at her feet. Though still bare foot she realized guiltily that both of her feet had been bound and treated. They still hurt but they weren't as bad as before. She looked back with a pang in her chest and slowly retreated back down. Maybe she would talk after she had food, maybe. It was just as dingy on the lower deck as it was above. The boards were broken and creaking and she couldn't help but wonder if the boat could collapse at any moment. But her thoughts were quickly stolen away when she caught sight of a small table holding small boxes of food from different lands. Greedily, she took what she could in her hands and ate hastily. She ate until her stomach hurt and with a whine she collapsed to the ground, feeling sicker than she had before. Her eyes shut momentarilly before she snapped them back open and sat up painfully.

Not again, she wouldn't have sleep come yet. Instinctively, her fingers flew to her hip and she jolted up in alarm. Her katana, it wasn't slung around her hip like it normally was. Despite the searing pain in her feet she stormed back up the stairs until the door was flung open and she was glowering at the older man with a ferocity that could kill. "My sword, where is it!" He glanced up dumbly and before he could answer she was storming towards him faster than he expected. When she reached him, her thin fingers wrapped around his shirt and she shook him as hard as she could manage. But like someone would a child, he gripped her wrists and tore her off of him.

"There, behind you. It was by your side when I found you." Frantically, she whipped around until her eyes caught sight of the gleaming metal of the sheath. If she needed anything to survive it was this. Her one last golden memory. Hinamei flung herself at the object and examined it carefully. All the while the man watched on with interest. "Now kid, tell me your name." Her dark eyes peered back over her shoulder and she sighed in exasperation.

"It's Tsukiyo if you must know." She lied blatantly but judging by the look of shock on his face he took the lie like she had hoped. "What?" The man looked away sheepishly and glanced at the seas almost dreamily.

"That's a beautiful name. I once knew a woman named Tsukiyo, but that's unimportant really." Hinamei looked up at him curiously and crawled around until her back was against the side of the boat. Her katana was clutched in her hands.

"What's your name?"

"Tashiro." He replied, Hinamei lowered her eyes and searched the ground. His name, it seemed familiar but the edges of her mind couldn't place it exactly. Before she was able to consider it more he spoke again. "Can I ask what you were doing in the forest Tsukiyo-chan?" Her dark eyes blazed up at him and she shook her head firmly.

"No, you can't." Tashiro pursed his lips together and nodded, understanding she wasn't going to open up to a stranger like him anytime soon. "Where are you taking me?" It was evident, through all of her pain and exhaustion, she had given up on using manners at all. Not that it mattered, she hated everything then. Even the stupid man that had the nerve to rescue her.

"Nowhere in particular." Hinamei growled in irritation and she couldn't help but snarl at him as he continued to stare evasivly forward.

"What the hell kind of answer is that!" Tashiro gave a weak smile and looked down at the small child, he shook his head and let his dull eyes drift back to the open waters.

"I'm a traveler girl, I don't read maps I just go. But if you're that concerned, I'm heading towards a small village for supplies. We should be there within a couple days." The boat shifted and Hinamei had to clutch desperately at the ground to keep from falling over. "You could stay there if you like."

"What would I do there? I'm useless, I haven't got any money and I'm still just a child." She spoke as if she was speaking more to herself than to him but he took her faint words as a response. Nonchalantly, he shrugged and wondered the answer himself. Truth was, when he passed the unconsciouss girl in the forest he really didn't know what to think. He couldn't leave her there after feeling her faint heartbeat, but he had never considered what would become of her afterwards. "You've just made things worse." A small laugh escaped his lips and he couldn't help but admire her stubborness.

"We'll figure it out once we get there. I know a few people there that would be glad to take in someone like you, considering you can work can't you?" Her dark eyes flashed up at him and she cast a very dry look in his direction.

"You can't just ship me off like some kind of orphan. I'll have you know I'm an Uc-" Hinamei cut herself off quickly and averted her eyes back to the floor. She wasn't an Uchiha any longer, and the word itself burned her tongue. For all she knew that was a black name now, disgraced by the one she loved most. "I'll think about it." He nodded happily, ignoring her small outburst and he looked away as she began to shake. She curled up on the floor, embracing her sword close to her chest. The scent of the sea soothed her nerves and soon she was drifting numbly about in harmony with the waves of the water. Her tangled hair framed her face like a curtain and she blinked the sleep away, desperate to stay awake. But she hadn't felt this relaxed in what felt like ages and for the first time since that night she closed her eyes and was met with absolute darkness.

Two days turned into three days, and when the forth day peaked over the horizon, she truly felt as though she had endured enough. "Tashiro, aren't we any closer?" Hinamei snapped from the stairwell, her tangled mess of hair was slung over one shoulder and her fingers desperately tugged away at the knots. "All this water is making me sick." When her persistence was met with silence, she mumbled and ascended the rest of the stairs until she was standing on the top deck. Tashiro was leaning on the wheel with his back to her, head tilted up calmly. She lost her train of thought when her bright eyes widened in surprise.

Directly in front of them was land. Lots and lots of land. "Isn't it beautiful?" Tashiro spoke mainly to himself, his eyes glazed over with the soft blue of shifting waters. Hinamei tore up the deck until she reached the edge of the boat, where her hands clung tightly to the sides. It wasn't like what she thought it would be. The leaf village was always surrounded, by trees, by walls, by people. It was busy and powerful, with shinobi scouring every inch and if you weren't clinging onto a weapon, something was wrong with you. But this, this was new. This small village was set upon a smooth island, surrounded by shores, some rocky and some not. A large portion of the island was surrounded by docks, where currently eight large ships were sailing in. Crates upon crates piled high upon one another, shipments from around the world. Tiny dots of what she assumed people walked around by the shores. There were children and the elderly, and as she got closer she noticed curiously, not one of them wore a headband.

"Where are the shinobi?" She asked lightly, looking back at Tashiro with a curious tilt of her eyebrows.

"There aren't any. Not all villages have ninja Tsukiyo. This one in particular is one of the few that don't deal with that, instead they focus on what they already have. Fish, shellfish, they market it across the world." Her eyes rolled back towards the shore. A fishing village? Her heart fell, she was going to be trapped on a village that did nothing but catch fish and harpoon sharks. _Every girl's dream,_ she thought sarcastically. With a loud huff she turned around and slid back down to the dock, her legs splayed out in front of her childishly.

"That's stupid. Who would want to live on a rock like this?" Tashiro looked down at her dissaprovingly but ignored her sour words. Like most, she could adapt. After all, what choice did she really have? Her eyes were burdened as she stared at the endless skies. Even after as many days as she had spent on his boat, she refused to utter a single word of her past. A blackened story that wouldn't come out willingingly, he decided. It must have been quite the story. Her fingers drifted loosely above the soft edge of the sheath, wondering if she would ever use it again in a place like this. The waves picked up and steadily, the boat rocked harder. It took five minutes to arrive on the shore, and as the boat moaned against the sides of a small deck, Tashiro began placing the ropes.

"Alright, welcome to your new home. First, I have someone for you to meet." Gloomily, she stared up at him before she pulled herself into a standing posistion.

Shisui and her often talked about traveling the world. He got to see it because, well, that was his job. But she had always felt confined in the leaf, trapped in by the walls that made sure no one got in or left without knowing. "One day, I'll take you with me." His dark eyes moved to her face and he grinned. "But only if you learn to defend yourself, there's some pretty mean people out there you know." Shisui teased and she blew a piece of loose hair up over her eyes. "I won't always be able to have your back, besides I-"

She quickly cut the memory off. None of that now, especially not now. Her torn feet gently walked to the edge of the boat, where she happily lept off and onto solid land. Something she realized she missed more than she thought. After a few shaking moments she stood tall and deeply inhaled. It was salty and rather unpleasant. Nothing like the fresh spring air that the leaf always had. With a glower she watched as Tashiro made sure everything was secure before stepping down beside her. "Ready?" She answered with a nod and he led the way onto a white sea shore.

The village was smaller than it appeared to be from the ocean. Most of it was shore and docks, the only inhabited part seemed to be the center. And she realized with a spurn of disdain that most of its inhabitants were either too old or too young. Small buildings passed them as the walked, selling handmade toys and clothes, nothing like what the leaf village had in the stores. Quietly, she walked behind Tashiro, letting her eyes judge the village until he came to an abrupt stop. She looked up as if something was wrong. "Why are you stopping?" There was nothing there but a tired looking shanty facing the sea and to her horror, Tashiro rapped loudly on the door. A muffled yell came from somewhere inside the house and she slunk back behind the looming man, feeling more a child than ever before. When the door opened she was met with a tall man, not as tall as Tashiro but still quite towering. He was greying all over and his eyes were dark, sunken in with the trials of a life long lived. His eyes first drifted on Hinamei, who objevtively looked away and focused on a small shell that appeared to be scuttling away. When he faced Tashiro however, his eyes widened and he smiled a somewhat toothless grin.

"My boy! What are you doing all the way out here? Don't tell me you're already back from your travels?" Her companion bowed low and lifted his head with an endearing smirk.

"No, still setting out west after this. But I was in need of some supplies and I've got someone for you to meet." He motioned back at the still distracted Hinamei and smiled. "This is Tsukiyo, she's looking for a place to stay and work. And," his smile faltered as he stood, "she hails from a shinobi village." Hinamei suddenly noticed her appearance, she was dirty. Dirtier than she had ever been and bloody. Uneasily, she looked up and met eyes with the old man. He looked interested. Finally, after a long pause, the old man stepped aside and invited them both in. But Tashiro kindly declined. "I've got some errands that need to be run, but please, take the girl. I think you'll find much more to her than you can see now." He smiled sweetly and placed his hand on her back. Repressing a shiver, she reminded herself to make him sorry if she ever saw him again. But before she could say anything, Tashiro bent down on one knee and held her shoulders in his hand. "You'll be fine Tsukiyo," he smiled in a way she hadn't seen since her mother had been there and for a slight second she felt the burning of distant tears. "You're in good hands now. Be strong, will you?" Suddenly, he pushed the girl towards his chest and embraced her so warmly she didn't dare budge.

"Alright..." When he pulled away, it was reluctant. And as she watched him she felt a longing she hadn't felt in what seemed for ages, and there she stood, alone once more.

"He comes around every now and then, don't worry." Her eyes glazed back over to the man and she frowned. "Come inside girl, we've got a lot of talking to do."

He stepped inside and then, she had no choice but to follow.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm so sorry I made you guys wait so long ;_; I've been so busy with everything. My updates are definitely going to be slower (not as slow as this but still, not as fast I once did) And if this is confusing, I'm sorry for that too. Any questions I will answer, just to clear everything up. Don't be afraid to ask :) And yes, Itachi will play a big part in the story but it will take a little bit to get there. This is mostly Hinamei's story now and she deserves some screen time in my opinion.


	5. The Child, Hinamei

Chapter Five:

"The Child, Hinamei."

* * *

Hinamei once recalled catching a fly in a cup, when she was younger and less concerned about everything. For a long while she sat there and watched it struggle, beating itself furiously against the glass cup like it stood a chance of breaking free. She had walked away and when she returned, it lie on the counter, unmoving and lifeless. She had never felt so guilty as she had that day. This must have been what it felt like. Currently, she sat on a beaten old chair in a house that hardly counted as a living space. Her eyes darted between the only two windows and she wondered if by any means she could escape. The old man, whose name she still didn't know, had left her alone for five minutes now. Nervously, she wondered if maybe he had finally kicked the bucket. Judging by the way he walked she guessed he didn't have much time, but he really could have picked a better time to bite it. A scuffle sounded off in the back bedroom and her head shot up, eyes burning with fear. "Tsukiyo was your name wasn't it?" The unattached voice said loudly and she shifted uncomfortably in the chair.

"Yes." Though her reply was dry, the man hastily stepped into the living room and eyed her brightly.

"You can call me Kame, so, you're a shinobi are you?" He seated himself across from her and she tried her hardest to make eye contact at anything but him.

"Well not exactly. I didn't make it past the academy." Kame let out a loud laugh and she startled herself rigid. She wasn't trying to be funny and she couldn't decide wether to stay scared or to get insulted. She went with the first option.

"Then why do you carry a sword if you can't weild it?" Instinctively, her hand flew to the sheathed blade and she lightly ran her fingertips across its glossy surface.

"Because someone very dear to me gave it to me. It goes where I do."

He studied her long and hard until he nodded to himself and held his cane directly in front of him. "I have a theory about you, I've lived long enough to know when someone is lying to me." She glanced up and gave him a hard stare. "There's something in those eye's of yours..." Hastily, she looked away. Without warning however, the man sprang up, more able than he seemed just seconds ago. He lunged at her neck with his cane in his hand and from the stick he pulled a small knife. It was brandished at her throat before she could scream and instantly, red flags were waving. A deep breath of air forced its way into her lungs and quickly she clamped her eyes shut.

She hadn't meant to activate her sharingan, it had a mind of its own those damn things.

"Remarkable..." Slowly, she reopened her eyes and was but inches from Kame's face. "You're from the Uchiha clan then?"

"Don't say that name out loud!" Her hands clapped to her eyes and she forced her knees under her chin. Maybe being alone wouldn't have been such a bad thing. If she didn't learn to control her eyes, everyone would know. Something she knew would have ugly repurcussions. "I'm not one of them! No, not anymore." Hot tears ran through her fingers, wrapping around the delicate curve of her wrist and she felt the chair pull back. Kame reseated himself across from her and she listened to the click as his knife slid back into his cane. Images of Itachi and Shisui flashed behind her eyelids, burning them with the ghost of black memories. They were playing in the forest. They were training, eating, laughing. And just like that, they were all dead. Face to face she stood from Itachi, a sword foolishly brandished in front of her and he came, eyes red like hellfire. He showed no mercy but instead he laughed cruelly as she slunk back against the wall. His blade raised above his head and he whispered, 'Hinamei, how naive can you be?'

With a sharp thrash of her body, she threw herself to the floor. Angrily, she yelled, begging for the memory reel to stop repeating itself. Like every nightmare that plagued her sleep, she couldn't escape it. "Breath, girl." At first it was a struggle, but when she did the air slid down her throat like water. Once her breathing had righted, she opened her eyes and was met with the eggshell color of the low ceiling. Staring back mockingly at her pain. "So you're from Konoha are you? Tis' a nice place to be, I lived there once." Dully, she slid her eyes up to him. He didn't look at her but instead watched out the window as the water splashed against the rocky tide pools. "Long ago, when the second was in command. I've always wanted to go back and see it now, but I never got the nerve to. How is it?" She was reluctant to respond but with a sigh she rolled over and curled up, secure.

"It's lovely. This time of year the tulips are in full bloom. And the sunflowers, they are the highest they'll be all year." He smiled knowingly and nodded, eyes adrift with images of flowers.

"Tsukiyo, being in that village I picked up many things. Some of them you might find useful. Tell you what, you help me around here and in my shop and I'll give you a place to live and teach you what I know. How does that sound?" Hinamei shivered at the thought. It wasn't that she didn't like Kame, more so she didn't like the aspect of working and living on this rock. But her choices were limited. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked up at him warily.

"What kind of things will you teach me?" He grinned coyly.

"For starters, how to properly weild that sword of yours. Back in my young age I was quite renowned for my skills as a swordsman, you could learn a thing or two from me. I also know a few genjutsu tricks that I picked up once ago, not much but you can build upon it."

She sighed loudly and put her head down. "Fine," she said into the wooden floor.

It was either that or learn to fish, and she never really liked the latter.

* * *

It was common knowledge that the village shifted between two different extreme temperatures. It was either grey and cold or, like today was, sweltering hot and beachy. But without the playing in the sea type of fun one would expect. And to make matters worse, Hinamei was dying.

Or so she thought she was.

Her face was red and small wisps of hair clung to her damp forehead. She took in deep shallow breaths and was forced to close her eyes. "This is outrageous, you're insane." She spat out between shuddering gasps. Kame stood tall over her, a deep frown on his face. Two months she had been there and she had still not adjusted to the weather. Every day she said the same thing. Her black eyes darted up and she clutched the wooden bokken tighter. "I'm going to die," she said with all seriousness. The old man wobbled backwards, using his own weapon to balance on. She should have given him more credit. Not only could he withstand the awful weather but he was fast. His assualts were tough to avoid and when they did hit her, it felt _horrible. _She could already feel tender bruises forming on her ribcage where just moments before he had delivered a mind blowing strike. She had yet to hit him, which was the first trial she had to pass to advance to real weapon training.

"Stand up girl, I'm withered and old and you still can't get me." She groaned and forced herself upright, using a single hand to wipe the sweat beads off of her forehead. "Weapon out." Slowly, she pushed the weapon ahead of her and glowered sadly. "Ready?" With a stiff nod she agreed and in an unbelievable flash he was coming at her again. She raised her weapon in defense and his bokken slammed against hers, sending a shudder down her hands so hard she had to struggle to hold on. He shifted and brought the weapon down, using its side to strike a blow straight at her knee. Her mind was elsewhere and this was evident as she let out a loud cry and collapsed to the ground, her face distorted in pain. Her weapon clattered to the dirt. Kame sighed and placed the tip of his weapon into the ground. She was everything he needed. She had the power, the bravery, the knowledge, but she lacked something vital. Motivation. And without that he would get nowhere. "It's not often I take in apprentices," his eyes rested on her wobbling figure. "You need to start taking this seriously." It wasn't long ago he had thought he had found the proper student, when Tashiro first stumbled into his sights. He had what Kame needed as well, but it wasn't right. His power was too weak, it was obvious no matter how hard he trained, he never had it. A deep part in him hoped he hadn't made that mistake again. "You're useless." He didn't mean it exactly, but he knew the type this girl was. Jumpy and eager to prove herself. If anything was going to set her on edge it was going to be an insult. He made to turn away, hand at the ready as he did so. Hinamei hissed deeply, letting go of her knee and she glanced up at the old man who towered above her.

It hadn't been too long ago did she hear those exact same words, coming from the mouth of the person she detested most. A sudden flare of energy propelled through her body and she was ignited with rage. Hearing those triggering words, she narrowed her now hellfire red eyes at the man's back. Despite the searing pain in her leg, she darted forward on the ground and wrapped her thin hand around the handle of the bokken and she used every ounce of her strength in her body to swing it upwards. Kame was ready for her strike, but not her power. His bokken smashed against hers but the collision forced the weapon from his hand and it skidded six feet away from him. "Don't underestimate me, ever." Slowly, she stood up. Eyes drilling holes into the ground. When she looked up and met his gaze, Kame couldn't help but repress a shudder. She was young but she had seen things some grown men never would. He almost didn't want to consider it. "I'm not useless!" Hinamei darted forward, bokken raised like a katana and Kame dodged left. But he didn't stand a chance against her sharingan. She countered his movements and in a second had the man pinned against the wall with her bokken inches away from his head. A smirk adorned her rosy lips and she couldn't help but feel sick at the pose she had taken.

Just like Itachi had done to her.

Quickly, she tossed the bokken aside and stepped back. "Why didn't you hit me?" Kame asked quietly, looking upwards at her as she walked farther away.

"I don't need to hit you to pass, it's obvious I can." She replied almost haughtily. Kame smiled and bent down to pick up her disgaurded weapon. It seemed he was wrong, she had everything he was looking for. Strength, courage, and mercy. She had it and she damn well knew it.

"Alright Tsukiyo, good girl. You've passed. We'll start weapon training tomorrow. What do you say we call it a day?" Hinamei looked back at him, eyes returned back to their charcoal tones and she sighed in relief.

"I thought you'd never say that." Her eyes widened and she smiled cheekily. "The going home part, I knew I'd pass."

When they returned to his home, Kame immediately set off towards the kitchen to cook a dinner for the two of them. Hinamei seated herself at the kitchen and rested her chin in her propped up hands, eyes following every moment Kame made. Despite the small time that she had spent training, she had never felt as worn down as this. Even when Shisui and Itachi had trained her, neither of them made her feel like she was actually making progress like she did now. It was an empowering feeling almost, like she could take on anything (even if she knew she couldn't). A small smile graced her lips. As she watched Kame mix his vegetables in the searing pan a thought crossed her mind. Kame had mentioned he hadn't taken up many apprentices, and at first whereas she had disregarded it, now thinking back she realized pieces didn't fit. Kame didn't know her or anything about her up until he had seen her sharingan. The chances of him actually taking her in to train seemed slim from the start, but she hadn't even needed to ask. Her eyebrows knitted together and her body tensed. There was something going unsaid here. "Kame-san?" The man turned halfways towards her and nodded in response. "Why are you training me?"

"Do you not want to learn?" Immediately she back pedaled and let out a nervous laugh.

"No, no that's not what I meant. I mean, is there any particular reason you are training me?" What she thought was an innocent question now had her worried as Kame stiffened and drew his gaze away from her. He was silent for a minute before he sighed and laid his spoon to rest on the side of the pan. He sat himself across from her.

"I've been looking for a long time for someone like you Tsukiyo. I need you to do something important for me." Just when she thought she had escaped all complications here came one, rearing it's ugly head right in front of her face. She held back the urge to scream and run out the door, intent on throwing herself into the ocean to just give up forever.

"What is it?" She whispered almost regretfully. Her dark eyes looked up at Kame, innocent and wide with fear. She couldn't do this, not again.

"Tsukiyo, I-"

The image melted away and Yukio blinked at his surroundings. He was back in Tsukiyo's dump of a house. And right in front of his face blinked an older but still as angry Tsukiyo. "Alright, I've been waiting long enough. Why won't you answer my question?" The katana was in her hand, tucked protectively behind her back. Her bottle of sake was nearly half empty, he had been in his trance now for a while. When the present hit him he sighed and leaned back, rubbing his hands against his eyes.

This girl was hiding _a lot._ And he had just gotten to see most of it first hand. No wonder she was as delirious as she was. At first he considered playing it off like it didn't work but judging by the expression on his face she wouldn't have accepted that. "Who-" He shook his head and she blinked dumbly back. "Hinamei?" He finally decided to say, it was the only thing he could that would make the situation instantly clear. Her dark eyes widened and then suddenly narrowed, angry and confused at the same time.

"What?"

"Tsukiyo isn't your real name. It's Hinamei. Uchiha Hinamei." He said quietly, trying to look at everything but her. He couldn't shake the images from his brain. It was a lot of information at once and he nearly regretted feeling so eager. Her story wasn't anything to be excited about. Hinamei slunk back against the floor almost in defeat and she slowly wrapped her hand around the bottle by her knee and brought it to her lips. The sharp flavor whisked away everything. "Who was-" His nervous eyes glanced at her, "Itachi?" She choked and the bottle clattered loudly to the floor. Sporadically, her hand groped around till it righted the bottle up straight and she forced the liquid back down her throat. Her eyes closed painfully, Yukio didn't need to ask why.

After a long drawn out silence, Hinamei reopened her eyes and spoke, "you can read objects?" He nodded and she slapped her head into her hands, shaking it back and forth. "No, no, no..." she repeated quietly to herself. Finally, she looked back up and to Yukio's concern, she stood up tall. "Alright," she finally said, unlatching the katana from its sheath. "I have to kill you kid, I'm sorry." Yukio's mouth dropped open and his eyebrows tilted upwards.

"What?"

Hinamei shook out her hair and she sighed, rolling her eyes upwards. "You heard me. Now sit still or you'll just draw this out." She replied calmly. The realization hit him and every nerve in his body tensed up.

"What? No, no. Absolutely not! You can't kill me! That's against your code of honor!" He yelled desperately, hands clutching at the fabric of the chair. Hinamei's dark eyes widened and she opened her mouth in a loud wail.

"I know it is but what else am I supposed to do!" She tossed the weapon down and put her hands atop her head, weaving her fingers through her hair. "I mean, you know everything!"

"I won't tell anyone!" Yukio was ready to dart out of the room but he was sure that if he did do that then she really would try to kill him. Her fingers clutched harder at her hair.

"I'm panicking. I can't believe I messed up this bad, and I thought I was doing pretty good too. I mean, you know _everything._" She groaned loudly and flopped helplessly down on the chair behind her. _"Everything."_ She said again with wide eyes. Yukio's heart was slamming against his rib cage but he needed to think. Hinamei was bordering between two drastic lines and the situation was on the edge of becoming completely uncontrollable. And judging from what he saw, he would have been surprised if she didn't have some serious mental problems. His eyes nervously darted to the floor and he did the only thing he could think of. His hand scrambled around the neck of the sake bottle and he shoved it hard into Hinamei's arm. Like a baby to a bottle, she took it quickly and downed a large amount.

She sighed loudly and her body went limp. "Are you-" Yukio inched back uneasily. "Are you alright now?" Her dark eyes slowly glanced up at him and slowly, she nodded.

"I'm sorry. I guess this is partially my fault. I didn't think it through." Sheepishly, she looked away. "I wasn't really going to kill you, you know." He didn't answer, partially because he didn't believe her, but mostly because he thought she was a total basket case. And any minute she would snap again. Hinamei's curiousity edged upwards and as where she probably didn't want to know, she just had to. "Yukio?" Blue eyes met hers and she continued, "how much did you see?" The boy sighed and tucked his arms in close to his body.

Sure he was on edge, who wouldn't be? But truth be told, she had torn him away at a very bad spot and he was itching to know what that old man had wanted. "Most of it, I saw your clan." He glanced at her carefully and after reassuring himself she wasn't going to pounce on him, he continued. "I saw you...leave. You were training here in this village with a man, that's where I left off at." Her eyes were glossy and staring off, a thin smile warily coming through.

"Your powers, their amazing. You must be a pretty revered group in your village." Yukio looked away awkwardly. "So you know everything right?"

"I guess so."

_"Everything?"_ He looked up dryly and she smiled cheekily. "Alright, fine. But I'm going to have to lay down some ground rules." He fought back the urge to groan and she continued. "You have to call me by Tsukiyo, at all times. Understood?" He nodded dully. "And refer to yourself as my brother while you're here. That's the best excuse we can give for why you're living with me." She took another swig. "And don't talk about this to anyone. Ever. I hate to say this but potential danger is still out there. I changed my name for a reason."

"Are people after you too?" She quirked an eyebrow and he quickly backtracked. "I mean, are you on the run from something?"

"No, it's not like that. Everyone thinks I'm dead, or well, the Uchiha part of me anyways." Her next thought was interrupted by a wide yawn and she blinked back the tired tears from her eyes. "Look, I've got a lot to do tomorrow, I better be going to bed." She stood up and Yukio watched her carefully. "I'll show you around tomorrow, how's that sound?"

"That sounds...nice." He decided, that day was taking a toll on him as well and he suddenly felt more tired than he had five minutes ago.

"You won't run away tonight will you?" Hinamei asked quietly, eyes soft and steady. He shook his head firmly. Even if he had wanted to he doubted he could have found the energy to do so. "Good. Night kid, I'll see you in the morning." The Uchiha girl made to walk away when a sudden thought flashed in Yukio's mind.

"Uh, Tsukiyo?" She stopped and looked back with an amused smirk on her face. "I was meaning to ask you, your trainer, Kame? Well, I never got to hear what he was training you for." Her smirk faltered and she turned back towards the hallway, her back towards him.

"He wanted me to help him die." She replied quietly, and she moved back towards the hall with her bottle of liquor firmly clutched in her hand. He figured that bottle would be gone come morning. He waited until he heard her bedroom door shut to relax. His muscled ached from how nervous he had been and he sighed loudly and forced himself upright. Pulling on his gloves, he stretched a little and let his eyes linger on the dark hallway. He felt bad for her, he really did. And it wasn't like him to pity anyone, but for her he felt endlessly sorry. He wouldn't say it outloud but he thought, for everything she had endured she hadn't turned out half bad. Slowly, he made the way to his bedroom after he turned out the light and he collapsed on the creaking bed with a moan. He couldn't help but think to himself, what had he gotten himself into now?

* * *

The stars blinked in the night sky, shifting throughout the midnight blue space. It was impossible to count them all but that didn't keep him from trying, over and over again. Next to him, Kisame stirred in his sleep, mumbling something bitterly before rolling over. Itachi reaverted his eyes to the sky and began counting once more.

Anything to focus on. Anything to keep his attention in one place, secure.

He had tried hard not to think about Hinamei since the day he left. It was a tie he had cut, just like all the others. Or so he had thought. But lately, whenever he slept, he found himself dreaming of his childhood. Shisui, Hinamei, and himself. The fearless threesome. It had gotten so bad that he had just decided to cut sleeping out as much as he could. It wasn't worth the flashbacks. He was where he was now for a reason, he was a criminal, a killer.

And here he sat too often reminisicing about things that were long gone now. It was disgusting. And confusing. And a million other things he shoved to the back of his mind. The weariness was growing on him and he rested his head back against the side of the tree, closing his eyes to the brilliant night sky. Even with all his forced will power, he couldn't help but wonder what the years had done to her. He knew she would look different but it was impossible to see past that little girl image he so fondly remembered. Itachi hadn't changed much, with his sleeping less frequent, the long creases under his eyes became more pronounced and his face had thinned out a lot. He looked like an adult now and it seemed so often he wore a mask of complete emptiness. It suited him. But Hinamei, she had to look different. His dark eyes snapped back open and he narrowed his eyes. This was not acceptable. He was on a mission and clearly he didn't have the option of letting old, withdrawn emotions get in the way. It was the exact reason Madara chose him to do this, to prove himself. He had gotten so far now, he couldn't let something as miniscule as this get in the way.

He forced his eyes back into the sea of stars and with a long, withdrawn breath, he began counting once more.

* * *

**A/N:** It seems I have a lot less readers than I did with the first one. I hope this isn't too boring. I really need to get the basics out of the way before Itachi plays a major role again though. I mean, it is a story. It has to have some legitimate plot to it. It's not that big of a deal though, I really just am curious if I bored everyone away. Ha, okay. I'm done. It's 3:30 in the morning here. I need sleep now.


	6. The Two Travelers

Chapter Six:

"The Two Travelers."

* * *

_Two more days,_ Itachi closed his eyes and moved farther in against the swollen wood of the small boat him and Kisame were currently positioned in. _Just two more days._

He wouldn't lie, a part of him was desperately looking forward to this impending moment, but on the other hand, things would have been exponentially better if she had just laid low until whatever was eating away at him took him for good. Then, he wouldn't have to thrust himself back into the mess he had made five years prior. Both him and Kisame had exhausted themselves immensely, traveling at the pace they had for the past number of days. But Kisame didn't notice how anxious Itachi had suddenly become, all it appeared to be was Itachi in a general hurry. To get it over with and return back to normal missions.

But it was far from that.

His chest ached at the thought, mostly because he hadn't the slightest clue how things would fair. Seeing Hinamei wasn't important in a sense, but taking her to her death, well that was a completely different issue. He opened his dark eyes and blinked at the seemingly never ending blue horizon, the swell of the water was making him sick. He spared a glance at Kisame, who seemed more at peace than he had at days. Being surrounded by the deep blue played a big part of that. "I hope the rest of this mission doesn't turn out as dull as it has been so far." Kisame said suddenly, grinning ever madly as he eyed his somber partner.

"I have a feeling it will be far from dull." Itachi replied quietly. For a slight second he wondered what Kisame's reaction would be to the true reason they had traveled this far out. Would he care? Would he turn on Itachi? Not that it mattered, Itachi swore to keep it as quiet as he could. Even if he had to threaten Hinamei to manage it. Considering she still had just a big of a mouth as she once did. "We'll be arriving some time tomorrow evening. If she doesn't struggle, we'll be able to leave the morning after."

"Hmph, all this trouble for some _child."_ Kisame shifted and gently, arranged his arm so that it hung over the edge, lightly trailing the fast moving water. "It doesn't make any sense. Out of all the people to send on this ridiculous mission, why us? We could be handling much more important matters. Like the kyuubi, don't tell me even someone like the blonde kid couldn't handle something as simple as this task."

"Maybe, maybe not. But what choice do we have? Besides, the kyuubi isn't going anywhere. We'll have plenty of time to handle that later."

"I suppose." The water nin let out a large sigh and slumped against the edge of the boat tiredly. "But if I don't get to kill anything for the rest of this trip, I'm not going to be too happy." Itachi answered with a smirk and he waited until he heard Kisame's breath even out in soft slumber before he let his mind reel again. Two more days and he'd be inevitabely back right where he left off. Confused, guilty, and unquestionably fascinated with that girl.

This mission was surely going to be _anything_ but dull.

* * *

"What about this one?" Hinamei grasped a dark blue coat and wiggled it around happily. Yukio, still tired from last night, waved his hand in dismissal and moved onto the next rack of clothing. He never expected the small fishing village to have much in the way of nice clothes but this was just ridiculous. No wonder Hinamei dressed the way she did. They had decided early that morning that if he were to be staying here he would need some different clothes. What he wore stood out too much and no one would take the bait that he was her brother. Even people in a shut up village like this weren't that stupid. "Well you have to pick something kid, we've got other things to see." Yukio sighed and reluctantly plucked the blue coat from her hand, she beamed. "There, not so hard was it?" He didn't say anything when she went to pay for the handful of items she had slowly gathered for him.

After all, it wasn't like he asked her to but them for him. And he sure as hell wasn't about to object. When she turned around she thrust the bag into his hand and she motioned for him to follow. As he walked behind her he eyed her carefully. She didn't look deadly but still, he wasn't quite sure what to think. Her katana, as always, dangled off of her hip for easy access and she dressed herself (dare he say) like she didn't give a damn how she looked to other people. She wore a fitted pair of black pants, they met at the back of her knee and revealed the pale skin of her slender legs. Unlike traditional shinobi, she didn't wear boots but instead olden style slippers that covered everything but the top of her foot. She finished her look off with a white wrap around shirt, with sleeves that hung well over her hands when she let her arms drape lazily. It was big on her lithe frame giving off a childish impression. Hinamei glanced back at him and scowled. "What are you staring at?" He swallowed and let out a low laugh.

"Nothing, just admiring the scenery." The second she looked away his face fell and he glowered at the ground. There was no scenery. Instead the village had managed to pile countless shacks atop one of each other and messily decide to call them stores. Even where he came from was nicer looking than this. He had decided, if he ever got away from this place he would never come back. In front of him, Hinamei took a sharp left and as he glanced up at the sign he sighed.

A liquor store, what else?

Slowly, he wafted in through the door and watched Hinamei scout around like a child would in a candy shop. The man behind the counter moved his eyes from Hinamei to the wispy blonde boy that hovered in the doorway. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here, kid." Yukio looked behind him and then back at the man. Once his attention had been grabbed, the man moved closer to the boy and grinned. "I've always told Tsukiyo she needed a boyfriend, you're a bit young but it's better than nothing I suppose." Yukio glowered at the shopkeeper and turned his head away.

"I'm not her boyfriend." He replied sharply. The man blinked and stood up tall, awkwardly grabbing a slip paper and trying hard to look occupied. Hinamei swept in close, flushed and arms full of three different bottles. Yukio cast his eyes upwards. At this rate, he'd be better off throwing himself into the ocean.

"He's my brother actually." She cast Yukio a sharp glare and he sighed, oops. "He's visiting for a short while." A sudden idea sparked in Yukio's head and he replaced his scowl with a wide grin. Before the man could ring up the items, Yukio swept up behind Hinamei and wrapped his free hand around her arm.

"To help her sober up-I've always told her she looks much older than she is with all that drinking she's doing. So if you pardon us, we've got other things to tend to." Hinamei elbowed him sharply in the stomach.

_"No_, you're not." She hissed back spitefully. But he wasn't going to stop there.

"Now why else would I be here? I'm just worried about you _sis." _Her dark eyes widened angrily and he only grinned in response. "Come on, you're not going to get better if we keep hanging out in a place like this." She opened her mouth to talk back but it was pointless, Yukio was dragging her out the door, ignoring the bewildered stares the man behind the counter was giving them. When they made it outside Yukio left her arm go.

"What the hell is your problem?" Hinamei snarled at him, getting so close to his face he stumbled back. But he quickly righted himself and moved just inches away from her face..

"I'm trying to help you, obviously. That stuff isn't going to make anything any easier." He growled, narrowing his blazing blue eyes to make sure she knew he wasn't playing. But Hinamei wouldn't hear a word of it. With a frustrated yell she threw her arms up and stepped back, giving him a unsettling look.

"Trying to help! That's stupid. I don't need help, what I need is a drink! And besides, I drink for a reason. You have no idea what I've been through!" Her face was red with anger and she was breathing deeply. And it was only his luck he would say the one thing that could make it worse.

"Actually, I do." As she opened her mouth to respond she looked around, people were starting to gather and stare. She pointed a single finger at Yukio before letting out an aggravated yell and storming off. Leaving him standing in the street with his arms full of the things she had just bought. Had he overstepped? He snorted, right, like he cared. Before any more people could stop and look he set off back in the direction of her house. There was always a positive in situations like this, at least now he wouldn't have to walk around with her and play the brother card. He pushed the rising guilt away and picked up his pace. It was her fault anyway, girls, always causing a scene.

Hinamei walked hard, fists curled and rapidly moving by her side as she seeped anger. Her normally sweet features were twisted into one of rage and it really didn't suit her. From the beginning, she knew that boy was a bad idea. He acted like a five year old and knew exactly how to push her buttons. Forget what she said about him reminding her of Shisui. For one, she actually_ liked _Shisui. This kid? Not so much anymore. Her walking slowed and she released the built up tension in her hands. So what if he had good intentions, she drank to keep the nightmares at bay. And those he didn't know about.

How vivid they always were, blood never looked so bright as it did in those images. The more she drank the more her dreams turned to something completely unrecognizable and the more she could actually sleep. But she knew, deep down it didn't make anything easier. The dreams were always there, even if they were blurred. A sigh left her lips and she looked up. It was a nice day and she closed her eyes. Maybe she would pay Kame a well deserved visit today, now that she didn't have to show around an ungrateful child anymore.

After stopping in at the local florist she took the small bundle of flowers she had and escaped into the graveyard. It was quiet as usual and shaded by the dense treetops that sheltered her from the sun. Careful to not tread on any stranger's grave she swallowed hard. She tried to avoid this place at all costs, it was just an awful reminder of what she didn't have anymore. After she lost everything and came here, Kame had been there. He had trained her and treated her like a daughter of sorts. He had cared for her, a feeling she had thought she would never see agian. And then the day came, after all her training was finished and she could do the jutsu that he had asked her to learn, he wanted to die. Kame had been sick for a long while and it wasn't until after his death did she learn he had been carrying this burden for well over twenty years of his life. She didn't blame him but as selfish as she was though, she hated that he had left her too. As she advanced on his tombstone she quietly wiped away the spare tears that leaked through her vision. Gently, she laid the flowers above his gave and straightened back up. "I bet you'd be real proud of me now." She said sarcastically, looking away uneasily. "I'm a wreck now. And I hate to admit it, but I miss you. At least I know you would have snapped me back into place before I got to where I am."

A small breeze wrapped around her and she closed her eyes. She was talking to a rock, of course. But no one was around to see it and she seated herself to the side of his grave. Often times she would come and talk to Kame, it made things easier. It was all she had anymore. When she arrived for the first time, Tashiro would often times come back and see Kame and herself. He'd bring back gifts from his travels and he always seemed so interested in the progress she was making. With Kame and Tashiro around, she thought she had formed a sort of makeshift family, but good things seemed to last only so long around her. Two years after her arrival Tashiro stopped coming. Neither of them knew what it meant. Maybe he had died, either way she never knew and it killed her. She often times would sit at the docks in hopes he would come around again. But he never did and it wasn't long after that did Kame die. And she was left right back where she started. Alone with everything good in her life suddenly snatched away. She was starting to believe she would never be happy again.

And she still wasn't, but she was getting closer. To forgetting, to moving on, to accepting. Eventually she would be right but until then all she had were empty graveyards and bottles of sake to keep her company. At least she was content now. With a frustrated sigh, she fell back into the grass and ran her hands over her face. Or maybe she wasn't, maybe after all this time she was still lying to herself.

Whatever the case, she needed a drink.

* * *

When she came home, Hinamei didn't say a single word to Yukio. Not that he minded, but he thought she would have at least yelled at him again. Especially after the look he had given her when she stumbled in, drunk and half asleep. It was well past midnight when she finally came home, having hit up the local taverns for a while she was falling back into that cozy, familiar void. But Yukio had learned his lesson, he wouldn't try to help her again. He lie on his bed with the door closed, Hinamei was now in her room, locked up for the night as well.

He kept reminding himself this was only temporary, just until he got his bearings straight. Before she came home he had almost considered leaving, with an armful of her most valuable things to sell of course. But his conscious quickly came up and he found himself suddenly feeling guilty for even striking that thought. He decided finally that he would talk to her tomorrow about it, surely she wouldn't object. The boy rolled onto his side and shrank up against his pillow. He was tired from waiting for her to get home. It wasn't his responsibility but he found himself worried. After she unwillingly revealed to him her past he couldn't shake the unnerving sense of pity he had for her. And that kept him up, just to make sure she came back safely.

But it wouldn't happen again. He shrank into his pillow and closed his eyes. It definitely wouldn't happen again.

It wasn't the soft budding sun that woke Hinamei the next morning but instead a loud clatter that came from the kitchen. She sat up quickly and wrapped her hand around the handle of her sword, only to be side swiped by a brain splitting headache. Immediately she slapped a hand to her head and fell back into bed. "I think I over did it," she said painfully. Another loud sound resonated from the kitchen and she opened one eye warily. Despite the blaring pain in her temple, she slid herself out of bed and snatched her sword. Slowly, she opened the door and peeked around the wood. No one waited to ambush her in the hall so she stepped out and carefully slid her katana from its sheath. Each step she took made her heart race at the prospect of an enemy in her kitchen. Itachi hadn't only made her slightly insane but incredibly paranoid as well. Footsteps sounded from in front of her and she was ready to swipe. When she darted around the corner of the hallway she raised the blade and moved to cut it down. Until a pair of startled bright eyes caught her in mid swipe and she screamed, dropping her blade loudly to the floor. "What are you doing?" She asked quickly, grasping at her chest with one hand and her head with the other. Yukio took a deep breath and looked away.

"Well I was trying to make you something to eat before you tried to kill me." With a glare she bent down and picked up her sword, replacing it in the sheath and then carefully balancing it up against the wall. Yukio turned away from her and went back to pulling bread from a high cabinet.

"What's the occasion?" She moved to sit down at the table and watch as he moved around the kitchen. Like Kame often would.

"No occasion, I'm just hungry. And I figured you would be too." For a slight second she felt bad for treating him so coldly, but in an instant she snapped back and reminded herself that he down right deserved it. They stayed quiet until Yukio set down a plate in front of her and seated himself across from the suddenly starving girl. He watched on with interest as she wasted no time in picking up her chopsticks and forcing food into her mouth. It eased away the headache and once she finished she sat up and stretched.

"Thanks kid, I'm going to go get ready."

"For what?" He replied nonchalantly.

"I've got errands to run," she slid a sideways glance at the boy and frowned, "ones I meant to do yesterday but got preoccupied." Yukio nodded, keeping his eyes on his plate and Hinamei took that as an answer. She made to walk away when she found herself turning around once more. "You're welcome to come if you like."

"I'll think about it."

"Alright." As she walked down the hall with her sword in hand now she scowled. Why she was being so nice to the brat, it didn't make any sense. He should be grateful she wasn't truly as mean as she tried to be, after all he still had a bed and he was still wearing the clothes she had bought him. "Stupid kid." Hinamei said rashly once she closed her door and pulled her hair up. She doubted she would ever get used to him. With a sigh of defeat the sat on the bed, she really ought to have been nicer.

After all, her behavior reminded her a lot of how Itachi used to act when they were little. Shunning her out and snapping at every chance. He had always taken her for granted and damned if she was going to turn into someone like him. With a snort she sat up and headed for the shower, right, like Itachi. A mad man with a blood lust that couldn't be met, every girl's dream isn't it?

It was late afternoon when they finally left the house. The sun was out and it was still a nice day, not too hot as it normally would have been considering the time of day. Hinamei walked happily in the streets with Yukio trailing behind. His eyes grazed over everything, the beach, the shops, the people. It was a bustling village this day, the women and children walked around to shop, eat, and play and the men were far out in the ocean, catching fish to make a decent buck. For a slight second he was feeling nostalgic about his own home, but he quickly pushed it away. As they walked, people from all over came and talked to Hinamei, some like old friends and some that held so much respect for the woman it was almost questionable. When they finally seemed alone, Yukio pressed forward until he was walking side by side with the girl. "Are you really so important to these people?" She looked down at him and shrugged.

"I suppose. There is one doctor here and he comes and goes to different villages around this area. When people get sick and need care, they aren't left with many options. I guess they see me as a sort of healer." He shuddered at the thought. "I don't just kill them you know." She responded snidely, keeping her eyes firmly ahead. "I can make medicine too, Kame taught me well before he died. It's not much but it's better than what they have." Children drifted in through their legs, screaming and playing raucously in the street. She paid no mind as they raced by. As if reading his mind she continued, "this place isn't so bad you know. It's quiet and quiet is exactly what I need now." He didn't respond. They spent the rest of the day weaving in and out of small shops, talking to people and discussing business. Well she did, mostly he drifted by and eavesdropped. It was around when the sun started to fall back over the horizon did she finally turn towards him and acknowledge his presence. "Hungry?"

He glanced up, now that she mentioned it he was starving. Hastily, he answered and she grabbed firmly to his hand.

"I know the perfect place, come on." On the edge of the village, close by her house, there was a bigger building. One that was protected only by a small, ragged shelter. But the heavy aroma's that drifted out of the entry way had his stomach on edge. At this point, he would have eaten on a rock and not thought twice about it. Once they were seated a woman came right up to the table and bowed.

"Ah, Tsukiyo-san, it's been some time since we've seen you in here." The woman eyed Yukio coyly and she grinned, "and you brought company." Yukio flushed but Hinamei merely waved her hand in her face.

"Just my brother," she raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I swear, you're all so eager to tie me down aren't you." With a hearty laugh the woman placed her slender hand on Hinamei's shoulder and beamed.

"No darling, we just want to see you happy again. Anyways, you'll be getting the usual?" She didn't give Yukio a chance to talk and Hinamei nodded, flatly replying both her and Yukio would be eating it.

"I don't like fish." Hinamei raised her eyes at the boy and blinked.

"Well considering where we're at, you'll be eating a lot of it. Don't worry though, it's good for you." She said cheekily, sipping from the cup a woman had just placed down in front of her. "Look, I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I don't know you well and you don't know me well." She shot him a warning glance as she spoke and he looked away with a smirk. "But I'd like to get to know you a lot better." Before the moment got awkward though she cleared her throat and looked away.

"Don't worry about it, we've all got problems." He shrugged and with a small smile she perked up. He might have been a brat but he sure was easier to talk to than she gave him credit for. The air swam around her, warm and sweet and finally, she let her shoulders fall. It was rare that she really relaxed, especially when cooped up in public places like this. But she was feeling a sense of ease she hadn't felt for a long time. And for the first time in years, she found herself feeling comfortable.

In her niche, safe and sound.

The food came hot and Hinamei, like always, wasted no time in eating it hurriedly. Even Yukio, who at first stared at his dish like it would come alive, eventually prodded and found he enjoyed it more than he would have thought. They didn't talk much and it was around the time they finished eating did a man come in looking around, his eyes got big when he found Hinamei's flushed and happy face. "Tsukiyo-san?" Her dark eyes opened up curiously and she gave a small sort of wave as the man came closer. "If I knew you were here I wouldn't have sent those men to your house!" He said happily, sitting in close next to the pair. Yukio shot a warning glance at Hinamei and immediately, she went rigid.

"Men? What men?" She pushed her chair back, hand at the ready over her blade.

When he saw the alarm fleeting across her face he sat up tall, looking over clumsily as he had done something gravely wrong. "They didn't give me their names, but they were cloaked. I found it sort of odd they were scouting around for a shinobi around these parts. They didn't say your name but I just assumed they were looking for you. Did I do something wr-" Her chair made a loud screeching sound as she flew to her feet.

"Pardon me, but we really have to get going. Yukio, come on-" The boy wasted no time in following her, pushing past people as they called out curiously to the girl whose eyes were now flashing something dangerous. When they pushed through the door, Yukio held on to her elbow.

"What's going on?" He asked quietly, wasting no time in letting his feet match hers in a hurry.

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling. Someone is looking for me, for what reason I don't know. We have to leave. Come, this way, we have to get there before they do." She took a sharp left and he followed, boots skidding on the road as they went flying down the alley. This was bad, all sorts of bad. People around here knew everyone and it wasn't very often that people from the outside came here. And to be looking for her, well it couldn't have been good. Brown wispy hair flew around her head as she raced down the road, her hand now firmly wrapped around Yukio's trembling one.

He hadn't told her but he was running away from something far more dangerous than she could have thought. And if they had finally caught up with him, not only was his life in danger but he had gone and thrown Hinamei down the hole as well. And that was something he wouldn't ever be able to live with. "Why are we even going back to your house? Shouldn't we just leave now?" Her eyes threw back at him and she shook her head quickly.

"I can't leave yet, just let me gather a few things and we'll go." Her voice softened and she gave a forced smile, "besides, I won't let anything hurt you kid. Don't worry." Well, it was easy for her to say. The people that were after him weren't the type to take threats and go. She gasped and his eyes shot up, directly ahead of them was her house, quiet and dark on the side fo the shore. Untouched from the looks of it._ "Hurry."_ They picked up their pace and soon were skidding on the white sand, struggling up to the stairs. She threw the door open and raced in, leaving Yukio nervous and shaking behind her. The house was dark and the waves on the shore crashed angrily from behind him. He couldn't sense anything yet, but still, it didn't mean whoever was there wasn't close by. Maybe they were overreacting, but something told him other wise. "Yukio, get in here!" Hurriedly, he clambered through the house until he was in her room with her. The girl was on her knees, desperately clawing at something beneath her bed. "Take this." She threw a small bag up at him, it wasn't heavy but it was the same one he knew she carried with her at all times.

"What are you looking for?" She didn't answer. "Hinamei!" He cried out, looking behind him anxiously.

"Got it," she pulled out a small obi and quickly tied it around her waist. Yukio shot her a glare and she scowled. "It was Kame's and it helps my sword stay up, I don't want to hear it." But before she could continue her body went rigid and her eyes were wider than he had ever seen.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly, going stiff himself. Slowly, her hand wrapped around his wrist and she pulled him closer.

"Something big is coming this way." Hastily, she pulled him towards the closet and slid the door shut behind both of them. Roughly, she pushed him all the way towards the back of the small room and slipped behind him, wrapping a cold hand around his mouth. He made to pull it away and tell her to stop but the sound of a door slowly opening immediately made him still. Neither dared to breath in that moment. Two pairs of footsteps sounded off quietly in the empty house and she closed her eyes, trying hard to mask her chakra. So much for feeling safe. A voice creeped in, unable to make out the words but the tone was icy, cold and dangerous. Whoever was out there got closer and her heart beat anxiously against her rib cage.

"Do you suppose she fled?" One asked, opening a spare door and closing it with a firm rage. "You don't think someone tipped her off, do you?" The voice was hard, ragged and severe. Like a knife cutting in, whoever these people were, they weren't here to visit.

"No, but she knows we're here." Hinamei's fingers dug in deeper to Yukio's cheek and he struggled quietly. Now that the second voice had filtered in, she froze. During her entire life she had only met a handful of people that managed to chill her bones from just the tone of their voice, like they wouldn't hesitate killing you in a heartbeat, this was one of them definitely. "Check her bedroom." Even Yukio was sweating now. As the footfalls advanced she prayed silently that they would turn around. Turn around and not find the two of them cowering in the closet like fools. Her door creaked open and the footfalls fell silent.

Then, out of nowhere, the hard voice let out a spine chilling laugh. "Well, what do you know, she thinks we're playing a game." There is always that one moment where time feels suspended, a cruel joke. Like if you could enjoy the few brief seconds you had before you were about to die, maybe you'd appreciate it a little bit more. That's exactly how she was feeling then, all the things she didn't do, everything she had never said, they were all rushing back and she was feeling more full of regrets than she ever had. And then, it happened.

The door slid open and before she even got a chance to open her eyes, a firm hand wrapped around her hair and yanked her out fast. Yukio wasn't far behind, hair wrapped up in the monster's other hand. "Found you." Through wincing eyes she looked up, the man was tinted blue with wide gill-like gashes in his face flaring wide open. Atop all that was a maddening grin, hungry and wild. Never had she seen something as fearsome as that. But like always, things just continued to get worse. Another pair of footfalls echoed in from the hall and her eyes flashed to the door frame. Never mind the fact that her hair was being torn out by its roots, she now had much bigger problems to worry about.

For in her doorway stood the one and only, Uchiha Itachi. And he didn't look too happy to see her.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay so for those of you who have anxiously waited, ta-da! It's (nearly) here! ;_; I'm sorry to leave it off here, I know, I know, what the hell was I thinking? Next chapter will be out fairly fast and will be jam packed with Hina-Itachi love. Or something like that. Ha, and thank you for all the reviews and uplifting words. Glad to see I've still got plenty of loyal readers :) thanks for reading and I hope this tiny bit will hold you off until next update :D


	7. The Tables Turn at Midnight

Chapter Seven:

"The Tables Turn at Midnight."

* * *

For a brief second Yukio thought the room might burst into licking hellfire. Even so, that probably would have been better than what was currently happening. He took in Kisame's frightening figure but not shortly after another figure entered did he turn to look away. It took but a second for the recognition to kick in. The surly man that stood before them was Hinamei's old flame. Well, maybe that was a little too light to describe him, after all, he_ had _killed everybody she loved. Kisame stilled, turning his head to look at Itachi and while Yukio slowly tried to melt away, Hinamei was ticking like a time bomb. The other Uchiha looked at her and then discreetly turned his gaze to his partner. "Kisame, let the girl go will you? We wouldn't want to damage the merchandise so soon." Immediately, the tall man released his tangled hold onto Hinamei's head with a defiant 'hmph' and she dropped to her knees, hands splayed out against the ground, shaking.

_"You,"_ Her head was down and her shoulders were trembling roughly. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Hinamei's head snapped upwards as she snarled out her strain of words. Eyes a brilliant scarlet, burning into Itachi's equally ready sharingan. Kisame made to look down at the girl but before he could ask questions Itachi broke in.

"Kisame, go into the other room. Take the child with you, get what you can out of him but refrain from killing him." It was obvious who held the reigns in that relationship, Yukio thought sharply before his blonde hair was being pulled forward.

"I can walk just fine!" He tried shouting but it was useless, the monster didn't care nor humor his yelling. Hinamei's mind was too warped around the current situation to pay any mind to Yukio as he was drug helplessly into the next room. Kisame slid the door shut, leaving the two Uchiha alone in the room together. Their eyes were firmly planted on one another and briefly, Itachi realized the situation had not gone according to plan. She was struggling, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. He fought back the creeping smirk that was twitching at the corner of his mouth. She hadn't changed much at all.

"Hinamei, keep your mouth shut. We need to talk first." But his words were unheard and she let out a guttural scream, hands clamping firmly over her tousled hair. No, this wasn't happening. She had done all she could, changed her name, fled to a place no one had heard about, laid low. She did everything to avoid this very situation. What had she done wrong and why...why was Itachi standing in front of her now? The boy crept closer, reading at guard to silence her if needed but quickly she shut her mouth, head recoiling back towards the floor.

"Itachi," she spat out roughly. "I can't even...there aren't words to describe how I feel right now." Her hand inched towards the katana at her hip, a notion that didn't go unnoticed by Itachi. "I don't know why you're here, terrorizing me again, but I promise you," she clicked the blade upwards with her thumb, hand at the ready to fly forward. "I'm nothing like I was five years ago." Her head snapped upwards again and she quickly tore to her feet, katana wailing forward fluidly as she moved. Itachi hadn't expected her to move as nimbly as she did but that didn't mean he wasn't ready. He countered her attack with a single kunai, a move that immediately made her feel like she was being underestimated. And that did not sit well with her. An aggravated growl left her throat and she slid the katana down his weapon until small bits of light flew from the friction. She stepped back, hand out and sharingan ready for any genjutsu he might throw at her. As it was, his mangekyo wasn't activated yet. She wasn't stupid, that could pose as a problem. She knew she had to take what small chance she had. The boy narrowed his eyes at her and she dodged left, avoiding a shuriken that had come out of nowhere. "You'll have to try much harder than that." The small girl whipped forward, her sword took a sharp left and was brought up with force that wobbled the weapon from his hand. _Move faster,_ she thought as she brought the edge of the blade back down and quickly made a jab at his ribcage. But his figure drifted away and with a scowl she realized he was playing with better cards. She moved in the split second his weapon came from behind, only slipping away with a small tear at her shoulder.

Hinamei had never learned to create clones. Or any of the other basics shinobi were taught. After all, she wasn't a shinobi but after five years of bone shattering training she was damn well impressive with a sword. And she convinced herself that's all she would need, no fancy parlor tricks. "I didn't come here to fight," Itachi started but was quickly silenced as he bowed to avoid her sharp cut. He watched with disdain as small fragments of his hair fell in front of his face. He really should have given her more credit. When he came up he knocked his fist hard into the soft side of her arm and her sword clattered to the floor as she stumbled back from his blow. But she was fast and she kicked the katana out of his reach and slid back to snap it up before it hit the wall.

"Then what are you here for? Don't tell me you just came to say hello." She spat harshly back, holding the blade in front of her body like a shield. Itachi stood up straight and glanced sideways. It was then Hinamei snapped her attention towards the door. Yukio was yelling, _no,_ he was screaming.

Again, this couldn't be happening.

Hinamei made a quick b-line towards the door but Itachi wasn't about to let her slip away so easily. He stepped in front of her and grabbed her wrist in his hand, twisting it roughly to the left until her hand unwillingly opened and her sword was out of reach once again. "Pay attention," he growled at her. The force of his grip pushed her to her knees and finally he pushed her away. Her katana was in his hands now, and he eyed it curiously. As helpless as she was, she couldn't do anything but rub the pain away in her arm and glare at the man who stood so shamelessly in front of her.

"What do you want with Yukio?" She yelled loudly, edging forward on both aching hands. "He doesn't know anything!" Itachi dropped his attention and carelessly threw her blade to the floor. She winced when it clattered noisily against the ground.

"Nothing, but he's one more thing to use against you. You make that plenty obvious. Now, are you ready to talk?" Her red eyes quickly looked away and again, a ragged yell slithered in from the living room. Her eyebrows knitted together and she threw her face into her hands, eyes wide and helpless.

"Fine! I'll talk but tell him to leave Yukio alone. Please..." she whimpered. Her chest was aching with every throttled gasp that left the boy's mouth. He was in pain, and she had promised nothing would touch him. Hell, she hadn't even tried to stop him as he was being pulled away. "Make him stop." Itachi watched her curiously before giving a short nod and stepping towards the door. He cast one last warning glance at Hinamei before opening the door and placing half his body in the hallway.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Just don't let him leave." A loud noise came from the living room in response, angry.

"Well hurry up then, I never thought you were one to play with your prey Itachi. I can only wait for so long, you know." Without justifying an answer, he slid back in and closed the door. Turning towards the defeated girl with a monotone look in his eye.

"Stand up." His voice was the same as she had dreamt for so many nights, for so long. Cold and steely, careless almost. It was as aggravating as she remembered it being. But she wasn't stupid. What choice did she have but to listen? If they didn't have Yukio she would have fought harder, she would of had nothing to lose anymore. But over the course of three days, she had grown attached. Maybe she was desperate for a connection, desperate to feel human again. But of course that would be her downfall. Wobbling, the girl slowly brought herself to her two feet. Eyes still focused on the ground. It had been a long time since she had felt so helpless. Even when Kame had died she felt sure of herself. That she could take anything now, she had the knowledge and the power to. But she must have spoken too soon. And even as painful as this was, she refused to cry. The last thing she wanted Itachi to see was that she was still as big of a coward as she had always been. When she met his eyes again her eyes had returned to their normal dusty charcoal state. A sign that she was giving in. "You're going to come with us Hinamei, our leader has business he'd like to discuss with you." Her eyes narrowed and her full, pale lips cut into a smirk.

"Some leader you have, sending his pawns out to retrieve something as easy as one girl." Itachi's calm face distorted into one she knew well. He was losing his patience, something she knew better than anyone that he didn't have a lot of.

"Don't run your mouth off."

"And if I go?"

"You have no choice in the matter." He replied matter-of-factly, he still hadn't switched his eyes back to normal. He didn't trust her yet. Something she took as a compliment if even Itachi was keeping his guard up.

"If I go _without _a struggle. Leave Yukio alone, let him go and I promise I'll do whatever you want." Her brain shouted warnings, she was making a very big mistake. But she didn't care. What kind of person would she be if she couldn't save one person in her life? It was her fault anyway he was here, stuck in the arms of some mad man. It was the least she could do. And besides, it gave her the opportunity to give Itachi back what he deserved. Something she had always vowed to finish one day. "Please." Itachi glanced back, considering the option before he turned back to her, emotionless.

"If it's that easy then fine. And keep the facade up, not everyone needs to know you're an Uchiha. Is that understood?" She answered with a glower and Itachi stepped closer. So close she could smell the spray of the ocean on his cloak. "I'll gouge your eyes out myself if I must."

Well, he hadn't changed much.

Defiantly, she waved her hand in front of her body. "Fine, but drop the threats Itachi. They'll get you nowhere." By now, she could feel the anger rolling off of him. Good, he deserved it. He should have known better, he had killed that friendship long ago. He turned around and slid the door open.

"Follow me." He spoke with a formal kind of punctuality. Unlike what he used to, there was a sort of unsaid grace about him. It came as he grew, as he held everything in. And it only made him seem more hopeless. Reluctantly, she followed. "She knows, and she's coming with us. We'll leave tomorrow morning."

"And what until then?" Kisame said sharply, watching Hinamei carefully as she slowly stepped down the hall. Itachi looked around the living room and sighed.

"Rest here. I'll keep watch on the both of them. We're going to need it." The taller one shifted uncomfortably before growling and slamming the large sword he had on his back to the floor.

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were making a huge mistake Itachi." But truth be told, he was exhausted. They had moved at a much faster pace to get here than they had on any other mission. He had hardly slept at all that week. His small eyes shifted back to Hinamei as she stepped into the room. Her eyes immediately flew to the crumpled figure on the ground and they grew wide and frightened. It was a look he loved. The girl pushed past Itachi, falling to her knees next to Yukio's shuddering form.

"Hey, come on, sit up." Hinamei pressed her fingers to his wrist and cringed. He was barely there, the other man really had pushed the boundaries. She tried hard not to let her temper get the best of her and she slowly rolled Yukio on his back. The boy answered with a sharp intake of breath as she did so. His face was already bruising, partially covered in gore and he coughed violently. With one eye open, he blinked up at Hinamei and even through the pain he managed a grin.

"I'm not blaming you at all." He whispered, his single bright blue eye washing over the look of horror on her face. "Really, this could have happened to anyone."

"Stop talking you idiot, you're just going to make it worse." She quietly placed a finger over his mouth and closed her eyes. She needed to fix him up, fast. The girl stepped up and looked back at the two, both were watching her with amusement.

"Where are you going?" Itachi asked as she stepped by him. He was at the ready still, she wouldn't get far if she decided to flee.

"To get some medicine. Your friend here hurt him really bad, he'll die if I don't." Kisame watched on with a smirk and Itachi let her pass. As she walked down the hall she heard the taller one ask if she was going to make a run for it. But Itachi knew her better than that and he replied with a simple no. She clicked the bathroom light on and quickly dug in the cabinets for the items she needed. Still, the shock hadn't hit her. Itachi was here, sitting in her living room and ready to kill her if she made a single wrong move. Funny how these things worked out. Without wasting time, she back off into the living room. The blue one was resting against the couch, eyes still alert and Itachi was leafing through a book. She glared at him from behind and kept moving, the nerve of some people never failed to astound her. She kneeled back down by Yukio and pushed the bowl of warm water next to him. And despite his small struggling, she wiped at his face gently with the wet rag until she could make out his young features again. "Better all ready," she pulled a small jar out of her pile and with two fingers, rubbed it against the few wounds he had. They weren't as bad as she had originally thought but still, it wasn't a pretty sight. She had to bind one of his arms completely after finding out that he had broken in trying to defend himself. It was times like these that she really resented not having learned any medical ninjutsu. Creams and pastes were so old fashioned, it was almost embarrassing. When she finally had Yukio clean, she moved him to a sitting position. He was aching but he felt ten times better than he had.

"Don't give in, please. These guys are bad news." He whispered up at her, still trying to open his swollen eye. Hinamei rolled her own eyes as she stood up.

"What gave you that idea?" He looked away and she slowly made her way to the kitchen. Dumping the bloody water down the sink she didn't realize how bad she was shaking up until now. A cold shadow crept up behind her and her bowl dropped in the sink loudly as she turned around. Itachi's face was only inches from hers and she froze. His eyes were boring into hers, displaying a number of unsaid emotions all at once.

"Don't be stupid Hinamei," he hissed, eyes searching her face for any sign of ill will. When her mind came back she laid a single hand onto Itachi's firm chest.

"You're just itching to fight aren't you?" She could feel the soft and steady beats of his heart as she consciously moved in closer. Her body was touching the fabric of his cloak and with a slight widening to his eyes he quickly stepped back. He didn't answer and instead stepped back towards the living room. Kisame watched with a quirked brow as Hinamei watched him walk away. A tinge of regret painting her dark eyes. "Let me move Yukio into the other room," before either of them could respond she held a hand up. "He won't get far in that state, I promise. I'll stay where you are." Kisame looked at Itachi and the latter looked deadly on. Finally he nodded and Hinamei slithered in close to Yukio. She wasn't by all means a strong girl, so she couldn't lift him like he needed. Instead, she struggled to help him stand, throwing his unbroken arm over her shoulder, he limped next to her as they moved in front of careful eyes. He kept his head down the entire time. His room was closer and as much as she didn't want him to be that close, she had little choice. Yukio was beginning to crumple. When she did manage to get him in the room, he sat down and looked up at her with his eyebrows pushed together.

"What now?" He asked quietly, eyes darting between her and the doorway.

"Shh, we can't talk now. Don't worry I'm thinking. Just try to get some rest." Before he could respond Hinamei stood up and gave him a small wave goodnight. She shut the door and walked quietly back into the living room. By now, Kisame was fully stretched out on the small couch, his eyes closed and his chest falling in heavy breaths. Itachi on the other hand had his eyes glued firmly to Hinamei. She ignored his gaze the best she could as she sat against the front door.

Kisame wouldn't have slept as heavy as he did if Itachi hadn't been there, he felt safe to fall asleep fully while Itachi kept watch. After all, Itachi was stronger than he. And these people, well even someone like Hidan could have handled them without a problem. Which was why Itachi felt safe to talk now. "You weren't careful enough." Her dull eyes looked up, not understanding what he meant. Still his gaze was fixated on her and again she had to look away. "You were reckless."

"Don't waste your breath. I don't want to hear it." She pulled her knees up close to her chest and she laid her head down in the circle she had made with her arms. She blinked at the small darkness she had created, trying to edge away the tears that were breaking through. Just once, she wanted a normal life. She wanted to wake up and know that no one was going to try to kill her or ruin her life for good. Was it really all that much to ask for? Time slipped by and eventually Itachi turned the light off, edging a way into a corner himself. But she knew he wasn't sleeping, he was always on the watch. Like a hawk, he would strike if she made one wrong move. Even though her body ached and strained she refused to move. To look back up. Feeling trapped often times brought her back to this position, like nothing could touch her. Briefly, she wondered what Shisui would have done in this situation. But she pushed it away before she could answer, one Uchiha from the past was enough to consider for one night. After another hour ticked by she finally budged and looked up, activating her sharingan as she did.

Itachi's eyes were closed and his chest was falling in soft breaths. Apparently, he had exhausted himself more than he had even thought. A small thought bloomed in her mind and to test the waters she unfolded one aching leg and she watched his face carefully. He remained the same and a small smile fell on her lips. Where as she stood no chance of escaping with Yukio she at least had a small chance of getting some time to herself. After all, she was only minutes away from screaming again and losing all control. Slowly and carefully she stood up, making no sound in the silent house and Itachi stayed still the entire time. Her eyes flashed to the larger one and she looked away, he was out cold. She moved as fast as she could until she was in the hall, no one made to strike her yet and she carefully slid open her bedroom door, making a quick line towards the window. Hinamei paused and listened for a second, silent. With a grin she slid open the window and stepped out, shutting it after her carefully.

The air had never felt so sweet. But she would enjoy it in a minute, she fled from the side of the house and she promised, she'd be back before anyone noticed. It would have been easy to run away but that wasn't the person she was, as stupid as it was. She couldn't ever leave Yukio there alone with them. The sand melted away under her foot falls as she ran down towards the beach. Her steps became uneven and she came to a stop. Breathing in the air she looked out at the ocean with bright eyes. The moon was scored into the black water, swaying ever so lightly as small tides washed up the bank. The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath, sighing out with relief as the air swept her up, tickling the loose strands of hair on her face. The ocean had never looked so appealing. She took a small look back and then when she was sure the coast was still clear, she kicked off her shoes and carefully stepped down until the water licked at her bare feet.

She must have been crazy doing this, but it was too late. She had been warped since the day she left the leaf, nothing seemed too much anymore. And was it really so crazy to admire the beach one last time? She took another step in and with a small smile she pushed her toes in deeper into the sand. If she had to thank Itachi for one thing, it would be for getting her out of the leaf and leading her here. Despite it's small attractions, the shore had it all. And for that she was endlessly happy. her dark eyes looked up at the moon, big and bright. And as she admired it she made to take another step forward but a slender hand wrapped around her mouth and cut short any ideas she might of had. "Why don't you ever listen?" Itachi's warm breath tickled her ear and his body was now firmly pressed up against her back. "Do you want to die so badly?" Her eyes widened and she could hear the smirk playing at the edges of his mouth as he hissed. His hand tightened around her face and with his other hand, he held a kunai to her throat. Dark eyes cinched shut and she tried to struggle, but it was useless.

But his hand fell back and he stepped away, giving her enough room to turn around until she was face to face with him again. Her knees threatened to buckle and she was edging towards complete hysterics. Of course, Itachi wasn't stupid. He knew, he had known the whole time. He was still playing his little games. "I wasn't-" she started but was quickly cut off as his kunai dug a little deeper into her skin. She glanced down and took his figure in. He had removed his cloak and now stood in front of her wearing a basic blue shirt and pants ensemble. But he was still just as threatening out of uniform.

"You know I hate repeating myself Hinamei. I'm asking you to go along with this, I don't need to hurt you." As she inhaled she paused. Had she heard him right? His hand fell and he looked away, it was obvious something was raging inside of him. The moon cast a pale glow over his already light skin and his eyes had finally reverted to that soft onyx grey she had always liked looking at. She didn't like him, in fact she hated him more than anything. He had killed everybody she loved, he had tried to kill her. But he didn't and suddenly she felt her chest aching.

Those feelings, they never really go away. And stupidly, she found herself still desperate to see some good in him. Without thinking her hand lifted up to feel his face, but he was quicker and caught her wrist before she could touch him. "Itachi..."

"Hinamei, don't." He replied coldly, eyes darting between hers. Unwillingly, her knees were giving way and she closed her eyes painfully. Tears were leaking through and Itachi had seen, she had betrayed herself entirely. His grip on her wrist loosened and her hand fell limply to her side. The pain was unbearable and just as she was about to collapse into the cold, shuddering waters Itachi's hands wrapped around the undersides of her arms. She was going into a catatonic state, her eyes seeing nothing but grey as he struggled to pull her to shore. She was shaking and Itachi felt angry he had let her get this far. He should have said something when he saw her try to leave. At least Kisame hadn't seen, he'd never get away with this. He laid her down against the sandy floor and kneeled over her, adjusting her head so that she was looking upward at the sky. Her breath was getting choppier and he narrowed his eyes. What the hell was he thinking. Madara was really testing him this time and no matter how many times he told himself to let go he realized then that it was much easier said than done. The soft touch of her hand brought his mind back to present and he went rigid. As she cupped his face her eyes fell back into focus, but she continued to cry quietly.

"You promised me forever. And look, look what you've become now. Itachi, what happened?"

He knew not to humor her, he knew he was taking a huge risk. But this once, he refused to think rationally. "People change, there's no such thing as forever." His voice was quiet but far from soft. He was angry, and he was clenching hard at the sand next to him.

"Only you changed, we were all happy right where we were at."

"You don't get it-" he started, angry that she was still trying so hard to convince herself things were better than they actually were. But when she spoke he found himself questioning everything.

"Not the clan, I know they went bad. But Shisui, you and me, we could have left together. We were always the same Itachi, but you..." Her eyes grew serious and she leaned in closer. "You fell apart." Despite her better judgement she let the moment take her, being thrust back into the same state he had left her in. The gap was small but she closed it. Sitting up on one elbow she gently pressed her cold lips to his, knowing fully well she was only making things worse. It was brief but he didn't resist for that one moment and she knew, somewhere there was still hope. When he did pull away his eyes were closed and quickly he stood up, looking more at war with himself than she had ever seen. Finally, he opened his eyes and she felt that spark of hope fade.

He was back to normal, hard and empty. "No, you're wrong." He said quietly. With more force than necessary he bent down and grabbed her by the shirt, pulling her up until she stumbled on her own thin legs. "Walk." The kunai was back out and as he moved behind her she could feel it's threatening tip dig into her back. The window was left open and reluctantly she pulled herself back in. She should have known, Itachi was gone. Forever. Angrily, she wiped her hand firmly across her mouth, trying to remove any traces of his mouth against hers. He watched on just as lividly. Quietly, the slipped in back down the hall and she returned to her spot. To her disdain, he sat himself in a close chair and crossed his legs, eyes full of malice. "Get some rest, you'll be needing it tomorrow when we go."

And she folded herself back up into her makeshift space, feeling as lost and hopeless as ever.

* * *

**A/N:** I hate cliffhangers as much as the next reader, but hey, sometimes they are just plain unavoidable. So to make up for that move have another chapter. Filled with plenty of action, dialogue, and romance? I swear, this is relationships in a nutshell. You love them but then they kill all your family and then you just don't know anymore. WTF. I can _so_ relate. Kidding, you see where my sense of humor lies in the early hours of the morning. Not appealing.

Oh, and for that one reader that is going to Costa Rica on Tuesday, this is mostly for you. Please keep on living. And reviewing. I like that.


	8. The Way the World Works

Chapter Eight:

"The Way the World Works."

* * *

There are countless unpleasant ways to get woken up in the morning. Many of them Hinamei thought she knew, but getting kicked in the ribs by a rogue ninja was a whole new experience on her behalf. Bleary eyed and in side splitting pain, she glared up at the tall man that she didn't quite know yet. Behind him, idly watching, stood Itachi. As stoic as ever. But it was the wispy blonde boy behind both of them that truly caught her attention.

He was bruised, beaten and sore with a thick bandage around his arm. He looked younger than she had ever seen and a pang of pity coursed through her chest. Another firm jab in her ribcage had her gasping seconds later though, tearing her attention back to the present. "We don't have all day girl, get up." The man growled irritably and with as much force as she could muster, she clumsily stumbled upwards with eyes tightly shut. Itachi refused to meet her eyes and Yukio's blue ones were boring under her skin. It was the most uncomfortable she had felt in a long time.

"Where are we going?" She asked weakly. Itachi didn't answer but his partner wasted no time in stepping up to the plate.

"Didn't Itachi-san tell you?" She cringed at the sound respect he spoke with, but he continued. "Your wanted by our leader. But really, I don't see the value." Ignoring the snide comment she turned towards her former friend.

"The deal is still on then, Itachi?" Kisame turned towards the Uchiha curiously, evidently Itachi hadn't said a word of it yet. Without meeting anyone's gaze, Itachi replied with a signature 'hn.' Taking that as an okay, Hinamei stepped forward gingerly, knowing he wasn't going to take this well. "Yukio, you need to go." The amount of noise that erupted from one sentence astounded her.

"Why wasn't I told about this?" Kisame growled towards his partner at the same time the small blonde protested against his freedom. Hinamei cut in loudly.

"There's no reason for you to come kid, it isn't you they want it's me. I won't drag you into this mess!" She didn't want a fight but it seemed it was going to be inevitable. Yukio's bright eyes blazed angrily and felt somewhat accusatory. Why couldn't he just have ran? Any normal person would have left in a heartbeat. It was evident nothing in her life would ever come easy, not in a million years.

"No, that's not fair. You can't just leave me behind," Yukio put his head down, pale blonde hair falling forward. His slender fingers reached up in defeat and tangled themselves in his web of icy tresses. "I've got nowhere to go. You don't understand." Her eyes widened and momentarily her heart felt cold, she knew better than anyone what it felt like. _They_ were the ones who didn't understand and she couldn't just stand by and watch this kid force himself onto a path she didn't dare wish on anyone. Neither ninja reacted as the small girl darted forward and brutally grabbed the boy by the collar. He hit the wall with a loud cry and he winced as she hissed in his ear. Her fingers dug sharply into his shoulder.

"Having nothing is better than being dead." As she heard the words slip from her own mouth she was reminded of how miserable life had been before now. Maybe she didn't blame him as much as she wanted to. He was alone, he had been alone until now. He was selfless enough to want the burden of a companion even if it meant throwing everything away for that one moment. But it didn't matter, she just couldn't let this happen. Gently, her fingers slipped from his shirt and she felt her knees weaken. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew I let yet another person I cared about die. No, not again." But the defiance in his eyes spoke true. He wasn't going to play this easy and even as she pleaded with her eyes she knew this was out of her hands. If Yukio wanted it this way, he would stop at nothing to gain it. "Please, don't be stupid," Hinamei warned as he opened his mouth. For a second his eyes lingered on her but he pulled them away reluctantly and focused on the two men behind Hinamei. Her heart stuttered and she held her breath.

"I can be useful, I have-" Hinamei's hand wrapped around his throat but before he could struggle a heavy hand tore her away from Yukio. She fell to the floor and gaped up at Kisame. His hungry eyes watched Yukio like prey. Well, he had certainly done it now.

"This sounds interesting, continue." Yukio's hesitation was obvious as he shifted nervously, feeling all three pairs of eyes on his skin at once. But once the courage returned he held his head high and bravely spoke.

"I have a Kekkei Genkai. I can read objects, their memories and experiences. Easily, I swear." Hinamei's heart dropped to the floor and her eyes numbly rested on a snag in the rug. She could feel Itachi shift curiously towards her house mate.

"Everything?" Kisame grunted, Yukio nodded. Without hesitation the mist nin raised his hand and brandished forth the large wrapped weapon that hung on his back. He slammed it to the floor, slightly splintering the wood. "Read this then." He replied bluntly. It was the last thing Yukio wanted to touch but he struggled anyways to slip his glove from his free hand. Hinamei couldn't help but bring her eyes up as Yukio's trembling fingers outstretched towards the weapon. His eyes went wide when his fingertips grazed the outer wrappings. Almost instantly, he pulled away, gaping like a fish out of water. When his back met the wall behind him, he slumped back looking terrified. Kisame only answered with a smirk. "What do you think Itachi?"

"What did you see?" Hinamei asked quietly, crawling towards the boy with her hand outstretched to comfort him. Yukio's pale face met hers and he closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"These men are worse than bad, that thing, it's _evil." _Hinamei shrunk back, he shouldn't of had to see that. But then again, none of this would have been happening if he had just kept his mouth shut like she had told him to. Softening, she watched him closely, hoping he would stop trembling soon. And even though it sounded selfish, a part of her was glad he had made himself known. She really didn't want to endure this alone.

"I don't particularly care if he comes or goes. We just need to leave." Itachi's voice broke her train of thought and she snapped her attention towards her former lover. Itachi shrugged away and stepped close to the door. Slender hand outreached, he pulled the door open and stepped outside. Like none of this really interested him at all. Without warning, the blue man's hand shot out and coiled tightly in Yukio's pale locks.

"Well I think the leader will find this one interesting. Kid, start walking."

And like that, things really began. With a scowl marring her pale face, Hinamei stole after Itachi before Kisame or Yukio could really react. Her hands fisted around the man's cloak but he was quicker and hastily slapped her hands away. But that didn't ease away the anger nor the sharp glare on Itachi's face. "I knew you liked to go against your word but I really thought this time you might have meant it." Itachi was just as hot-tempered as she was under all those monotone layers. No matter how many years might have passed, Hinamei was still just as good as ever when it came to pushing his buttons.

"It's not my fault your_ toy _opened his mouth. I don't make the rules Hinamei, if you insist, take it over with Kisame." Her eyes flashed to Kisame and back to Itachi, and a thin smirk wore on her lips. Like flipping a switch, her eyes revealed a scarlet tone. Glaring into Itachi's face, all the while, she hadn't expected him to act so fast. In seconds, she was being pinned up against a wall with Itachi's face only inches from hers. Except now, his sharingan was out too. Blindly angry and looking for some reasoning. "Turn it off, now." His growl was almost enough to convince her, almost.

"And if I don't?" She asked quietly, searching his eyes. Kisame's footsteps sounded off inside the house along with Yukio's loud protests.

"Then I'll put you in a genjutsu so unpleasant we'll be dragging you back with us, your friend alive or not." That moment Kisame entered the door frame and Yukio came tumbling out. Hinamei turned towards both of them coldly, eyes back to their dusty charcoal color. Before Kisame could raise questions though, Itachi stepped back from Hinamei and turned around. "Do we need to tie you up or will you come willingly?" No one answered directly but Hinamei stepped behind him, head down and fists clenched. Yukio quickly scrambled by her side. "Kisame, come, we're late."

"I won't go without my katana." Hinamei said suddenly before anyone could step away. Itachi turned slightly and opened the edge of his cloak. Her glare intensified when she caught sight of her blade secured at Itachi's hip. And if she wasn't mistaken, the ghost of a smirk lingered on his lips. But she didn't dare say anything and as both men started walking away, she too made sure her feet moved behind them. Not much could surprise her at this point, if the world shook and fell to pieces, well it couldn't have been stranger than Itachi showing up out the blue like this.

Or so she had thought, for as Yukio's hand slipped around hers she felt her eyes widen in shock. She glanced over and he tried hard to force a smile, for they were in this together. Wether she liked it or not.

* * *

Itachi looked over to his partner, making sure to not acknowledge either person in back of him as he spoke. "Kisame, I think we should travel through the fire country this time." The man's beady eyes stared back in concern before he managed to respond.

"That's a much longer route than we took last time, more than double the time we spent just getting here." Itachi knew, he knew it well. But none of that mattered. Itachi only nodded, and that's all Kisame needed to see to agree to go with it. No matter how much hate he harbored he couldn't lead Hinamei to her death like that. He would drag it out as long as he could, maybe this would all work itself out. Maybe it wouldn't. Whatever the case he felt the need keep trying. Hinamei brought her dull eyes upwards and watched Itachi walk in front of her. Tall and stiff, he walked callously forward. Yukio's hand was still in hers and he looked onwards as he approached the dock the two had arrived at only a day before. All four of them ignored the many watchful eyes of the people that had stopped walking. And where as they had made sure to leave early, people had already been awake for hours. It was inevitable that they would leave with someone seeing.

"Tsukiyo-san?" A soft voice fluttered in from behind making all four people stop in their tracks. Hinamei turned around slightly, letting her eyes fall on the small child that had quietly wandered in from behind them. Yukio cringed and Kisame smirked. But Itachi stood still, refusing to respond in the slightest.

"Tana-chan, what are you doing out here?" The Uchiha asked quietly. Hesitantly, she slunk forward on one knee and gently put her hands on the girl's shoulders. With bright grey eyes gleaming upwards, the girl smiled broadly in response.

"Kaa-san told me to bring you these," she brandished a few flowers from behind her back and beamed. "You sent Baa-chan to a better place, we wanted to say thank you. That's all." A watery smile gave way on Hinamei's face and gently, she took the flowers from the girl's grasp.

"Oh, thank you."

"Where are you going?" She asked sweetly. Kisame shifted impatiently and wrapped his hand around the handle of his sword. A notion that didn't go unnoticed by Hinamei. Quickly, she stood up and straightened her face.

"I have to leave for a while, but don't worry, I'll be back." She cast a glare backwards as a strong chuckle flitted in. "Now you better be going, you're mother will get worried if you're gone too long." As silent as the air, Kisame slunk in behind Hinamei's shoulder and towered above her with a slick grin cutting his face.

"Yes, you better be going little girl lest you want to be taught a lesson you'll never forget." Hinamei didn't even manage to get a word in otherwise before the small girl was stumbling backwards in fear. She ran off, small feet pounding against the floor. Immediately, people tore their eyes away, unable to shake the feeling that the two cloaked figures weren't worth their lives. And soon, Hinamei was being throttled back into motion again. "You're wasting time, if it weren't for direct orders I'd beat the fear into you to get you walking faster." She missed the moment Itachi shot a warning glance back, but Yukio watched on curiously. She scowled though and ripped her shoulder from the tall man's grip.

"Don't bother, I'm moving." Hinamei replied sourly, rubbing her hands up her arms from under the loose sleeves. The lack of alcohol in her system was already making her nervous. Well, more nervous than she already was. Her hands fell helplessly to her side and she watched on almost numbly as they unsecured the small boat from the dock. They would all fit, uncomfortably maybe, but nonetheless they would be off this rock of an island. For good. Despair growled in the pit of her stomach and for what she hoped would be the last time, she stepped onto the boat that would bring her farther and farther away from any happiness she ever knew.

* * *

Water tore around them, and as ever silent, they sat and watched as the water grew more and more endless. No one spoke. Even Kisame, a man who always seemed to have something sharp to say only stared out longingly at the oceans wake. But the tension all spurred from one place, and everyone could feel it. Hinamei sat crouched at the edge, her face marred with a bitter scowl and her knuckles white as the skin stretched tightly over bone. Considerably close to her sat the taller Uchiha, his face completely void of any feeling but if one looked close enough they could see his fingertips digging into the soft flesh of his palm as they sat. Yukio seemed to be the only one who watched on with interest as neither pair moved. Though they sat clear across the boat, he would every now and then smirk at how each would grimace when the water rocked them closer together.

Hinamei and Yukio were undoubtedly being treated like children. Each rogue ninja had been forced to watch over the captives, mostly for Hinamei's sake as she spoke of drowning herself over three times now, but none the less it was starting to make Yukio itch. His uninjured arm knocked into the side of Kisame as the waters shifted, earning the young boy a quite menacing glare in response. "You better keep that to yourself boy unless you wanted to live out the rest of your life with one arm." Eagerly, Yukio shifted away and tucked his arm in tight. He happened to like his arms just as they were.

No more words were exchanged until they docked, only five minutes till sunset.

"Are we going to be walking all through the night?" Hinamei said loudly as she clumsily stepped off the boat. "I mean, I'm already pretty tired you know." No one looked at her but Yukio, who gave her a meaningful glance and then shrugged his shoulders, seemed to agree. It seemed everyone was already tired of dealing with the pair, and that was just what Hinamei wanted. The more annoying she was the less time neither Kisame or Itachi would want to spend with her. And the Itachi part was easy. Ever since they were kids, she knew it didn't take much to drive Itachi mad with her constantly moving mouth. Despite his cold demeanor she knew he was still that little boy somewhere. But Kisame, he was harder to annoy. Though she could tell his nerves were rubbing raw from her constant complaining, his tactic was to merely cut her open until she decided she'd rather live than talk. But orders prevailed and so now, he had no choice but to deal with it. So he ignored her to the best of his ability. Hinamei laughed loudly and threw her arms up, shaking loose her long, brown locks. "Come to think of it, I'm so tired I can't even move another step." All three pairs of eyes turned towards her and as defiantly as she could, she dropped to the floor and folded her arms, staring up at them defiantly.

Going long without a good, hard drink had the tendency to reel her mind back ten years.

"Get up now." Itachi said coldly, he wasn't completely turned around but his eyes were drilling holes in the top of her head. As child like as she could manage, she only blinked in response. A smirk touched at the corners of her mouth, it felt somewhat deserved to see Itachi trying to hold back that flustered anger she knew he bottled up_. "Now," _he growled lowly.

To which she answered with a small, "no." Itachi's eyes met Kisame's and with a small sigh, he nodded. Making the shark light up with excitement. A sign both captives knew couldn't be good. Kisame wheeled around and took a step towards Hinamei. As well as she tried to hide the fear she could feel it leaking through as a small nervous laugh left her mouth. Still, she knew she wouldn't walk. No, she wouldn't lose this one. She was going to fight this all the way through. When the man towered above her she could feel the air growing colder. Of course, the steely man wasted no time in grabbing Hinamei by the front of her shirt and like she weighed less than a feather, he hoisted her up above where her feet would have touched the floor. His face only inches away from hers.

"You've got such a pretty face, you're lucky Itachi seems so attached. If it weren't for him, I'd have you cut to pieces, you're so annoying." His teeth were like razors, and she watched fearlessly as his tongue slowly slipped over the sharp edge of his front teeth like he was _hungry_ or something. A notion her stomach didn't sit well with. The three gill-like slits that sat above his cheekbones flared and the soft fleshy skin underneath was bared like a fresh wound. He was a monster, easy enough to say. The kind of monster she would of had nightmares of as a kid, but Itachi didn't know her as well as he thought. Her small hands wrapped up around Kisame's grip on her shirt and as menacing as she could, she looked him in the eye and snarled.

"If you know what's best for you, you'll let me go. I've got more secrets than you can count." Her eyes flickered to Itachi and as she thought, his sharingan was lit up brightly. This was going just as she planned. _Three, two-_

"Kisame, I'll deal with her personally." Coyly, she grinned at the blue skinned man. A notion he obviously didn't appreciate as she was dropped from a tall height almost instantly. She tumbled to the ground with a loud groan. But before she could even get her bearings straight, a pair of thin legs positioned themselves in front of her and she looked up sweetly. Unfortunately, Itachi wasn't so keen on her wide doe eyes. "I'm done warning you."

He didn't even give her a moment to reply as he hoisted her up faster than Yukio's untrained eye could follow and he slammed his coiled fist into the back of her head. Yukio made to panic but the sudden intensity of the situation had his lip torn between his teeth. With a small shuddering gasp, Hinamei crumpled into Itachi's grip, her eyes racing to the back of her head. As roughly as he could manage, Itachi threw her over his shoulder like a rag doll. "Now, let's go." And he set off like nothing had happened, Kisame and Yukio following wordlessly.

"We'll stop here for the night." Kisame finally said, three hours later. They were deep into a forest, thick and menacing as the late night moon shone through pieces of trees. Yukio looked up, bleary eyed and dizzy. His arm was aching and his stomach was writhing. Not to mention, the only person he felt safe with was currently still hanging from Itachi's broad shoulders. Itachi stopped walking and surveyed the area, after a brief nod he let his grip go and Hinamei fell to the ground with a loud lifeless thud. His dark eyes turned towards Yukio and the young boy held in a whimper that threatened to spill out.

"You, next to Kisame." He didn't even bother arguing back, until Hinamei regained consciousness he was out of luck and on his own. And he had plenty of experience being knocked around like he was. He quickly positioned himself next to the ninja and closed his eyes. Trying hard to ignore the loud scraping sound coming from Kisame's weapon as he repositioned it and sat uncomfortably close to the boy. Itachi, like a shadow, positioned himself next to Hinamei. Disrupting nothing in the process. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. These travels made him more tired than he would ever make obvious. His limbs ached and his eyes were sore, he only had a few years left. In time, everything would be corrected, but until then...

The pale girl next to him stirred, groaning as she slowly slid upwards next to his shoulder. Her fingers tenderly touched at the bruising spot above her neck and Itachi's tired eyes swayed over to her. She was watching him with a careful intensity. "Was this really necessary? I was prepared for a genjutsu, I didn't think you were so traditional Itachi." Her eyes slid over to Yukio, whose eyes were still closed and he was taking steady, frightened breaths. "What did you do to him?" She asked quietly.

"Nothing, he's nervous without you." Itachi replied, now watching the boy like she was.

"Well, you two aren't exactly easy to get along with." Hinamei slid forward onto her hands and knees and moved towards Yukio, Itachi watched on wordlessly. Kisame opened one eye as she advanced but with a quick glance at Itachi he relaxed slightly and re-closed his eye. "Yukio?" She whispered, slowly reaching a hand out. The boy shuddered, opening his eyes wide at the sudden sound. His muscles relaxed the second he laid eyes on the girl.

"Hin-" She cast him a glare and he bit his lip, "Tsukiyo, are you alright?" His voice cracked as he spoke but it was endearing all the same.

"I'm alright, I've got a killer headache but at least I've got both arms." She smiled wryly and despite the environment, he managed to form a sneaking grin. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Trust me, will you?" Yukio looked away for a second but warily nodded his head. As long as both of them stayed alive, he could manage anything. Hinamei made to turn back around but Yukio quickly touched her shoulder with his good arm.

"I need to talk to you, I wasn't completely honest with you before." She quirked an eyebrow at him and he sheepishly looked away. "I feel bad, you told me everything and well, I haven't said anything about myself. I did run away, but for a good reason-" He was cut off with Hinamei's finger pressed lightly to his pale lips.

"Not yet, tell me when we get out of here. I promise, we will." She was answered with a cold chuckle from the beast next to Yukio.

"You'll never get out of this, don't underestimate us girl. There's no escaping your destiny."

Hinamei glared, even though she knew he wasn't looking. These people didn't know anything. The world worked in peculiar ways and she knew, one way or another she'd get Yukio and herself out of this mess. Unlike Itachi, she knew how to keep a promise.

* * *

**A/N:** *shot* I'm sorry D: things have been _SO_ busy. Like, unbelievably so. This chapter took me so long to write, I never had a full twenty minutes to sit down and write. Between having to relocate everything within three days and work and family. Geeze. But I already have part of the next chapter ready so next update should be quicker :) Plus some more Ita/Hina action in the next one. Look forward to it ;)


	9. The Endless Cycle Downwards

Chapter Nine:

"The Endless Cycle Downwards."

* * *

The placement was, Kisame and Yukio at one end of the small circle barren of trees. The man with his eyes shut but still aware of everything around him and the boy, drifting quietly into the small peace he got when he closed his eyes at night. At the opposite end of the space sat two similar people, a man whose heavy eyes had finally fallen shut. But he was not asleep, no, he hardly ever slept. He listened now to the things around him, he could time every quick breath that left Hinamei's rosy lips, every twitch of her fingers. He could hear it all and he knew, she wasn't sleeping either. The girl's eyes were wide open, tracing every small shadow that fleeted by their small space. The rise and fall of Yukio's chest as dark dreams filled his head and troubled his sleeping. She hadn't known him long but no sane person slept like he did. Afraid and ready and willing for attack. And then there was Itachi. Her dark eyes slowly traced to her right, his mouth was a sharp line. Not angry but passive. He was void, completely empty as he sat still in the darkness. Maybe, in these small moments at night, he felt peace.

Not that he deserved it, she thought sharply. No, he deserved to be plagued by nightmares all the time. She hoped he never slept, for she didn't. Not much anyways. And she missed those moments where sleep was her one safe escape. Now it was only a passage back to the past, and it was all his fault. Above her, two insects were chirping wildly at each other. And that was really the only sound she tried to concentrate on.

Otherwise, her mind would slip backwards into an endless cycle of pain and foul memories. And she had been down that lane enough within the past two days to never want to do it again.

"Why don't you sleep?" She was throttled back into the present and she blinked. Her eyes stung, but she was more used to it than she would have liked to be. With her fist to her eyes, she rubbed away the burning sensation and gave a small laugh. Itachi never really asked a straight forward question, as in, he wasn't concerned with why she wasn't sleeping now. But in fact, why didn't she ever sleep? Because he knew, really he just got off on knowing other people had more problems than he had. Even if he was the source of it all.

"I think you know why, Itachi." Hinamei whispered, her eyes now shut. Sometimes, when things were as quiet as they were now, she liked to pretend she was somewhere else. With green trees and mountain air that had clouds clinging to it like they were afraid to let go. A place where the rain could touch your skin, no, not touch. _Caress. _And there was no murder. No rogue shinobi out for her head. Better yet, no Itachi. Hell, she'd trade everything in just to live knowing Itachi didn't exist in the world. But some things were just plain impossible. And as real as the air she breathed in, her number one insult was sitting but inches away from her.

"Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?"

"When everything ended." It was funny, the way he spoke. Like it was all some fictious play write. Like it never happened. But what he didn't know was that pain was so blindingly real, it haunted her day and night. Hence the reasoning to his question earlier. She doesn't sleep because the pain is so easily overwhelming. She'd go mad if she slept. Because then, she gave it a chance to consume her. But Hinamei knew better, why feed him the answers he so obviously wanted to hear?

"No, it didn't." She leaned her head against the sharp bark of the tree and took a deep breath. But Itachi wasn't stupid. He knew how much it hurt because deep down, he felt it too. But it was too late for him, the pain had already eaten him alive. "Why are you asking?" The girl turned to look at him but his face only appeared as a slightly lighter smear of color on the otherwise darker background. Despite the ache in her chest, even his slightly lighter smear of color was attractive. She laughed and even though she couldn't see, Itachi smirked too.

"Because I want to know." A flare of thought arose and she felt almost guilty. She hadn't had this close to a conversation with Itachi since she was ten. Almost eight years ago. She didn't want to say it was nice, but damned if she didn't miss it. It was almost like she could lean her head onto his shoulder and like old times, he would lean his head onto hers. And then he would say they would stay like this forever, and repeat. Well, it was a thought better left unconsidered. Hinamei blinked upwards, at the millions of pin pricks of light that shone through the silhouette of leaves. She missed the stars. Somewhere, she felt bad that she hadn't appreciated them more.

"Will you be honest with me?" She asked suddenly, still so quiet it was merely a whisper. Itachi inclined his head closer with his eyes still shut.

"That depends."

"Why are you taking me to...wherever this place is?" Then, Itachi opened his eyes.

She almost thought he wasn't going to respond, the way his breathing had fallen back into a normal pace. But then, after a long drawn out silence, he spoke. "He wants you. He knows you're an Uchiha and he wants to utilize that. When we take you back you'll be used like the rest of us. Maybe you'll have it better. I wasn't told everything." Even after everything that had happened, she felt inclined to believe him. He had spared her life once, he couldn't have become so callous as to throw her away so easily now, right? She put her head back down and looked over at him in the dark. A faint smile on her lips. But still, even a slight inclination wasn't enough to make her let her guard down. He was still a monster. With a wide yawn she stretched her legs out and slowly, made her way to stand up. Which in turn made Itachi tense up nervously.

"Where are you going?" He asked sharply, his voice still quiet but deadly all the same.

"You know, normal human needs." She replied in a blunt whisper. Hinamei looked around, of course they had to pick the one place where going to the bathroom had to be a terrifying experience. And that's saying something considering who she was camping around with right now. To her disdain, Itachi stood up stiffly and awkwardly before she could even start moving. "Where are _you_ going?" Hinamei's hand flew to her side and she quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm not stupid enough to let you wander off by yourself." He snapped, narrowing his eyes regardless if she could see or not.

"You're _not_ going to the bathroom with me!" She snapped back, glancing over at Yukio as he stirred. It was bad enough Kisame could hear every word that was being exchanged, she didn't need Yukio to hear how awkward this was becoming. The girl made to stalk off but instantly halted when Itachi's ghost of a footstep followed. "Itachi-"

"Don't act so childish." Just like the old days, Itachi always had to be such a know it all. Hinamei growled and her shoulders drooped. Now not only did going to the bathroom have to be terrifying, it had to be completely embarrassing as well. And with anyone else she would have been able to brush it off. But with him, not a chance. She could hardly fathom having a conversation with him, but this? No, it was something that even thinking about it made her blush. "Move." He instructed from over her shoulder.

"Don't be so demanding, you're starting to sound excited." She mockingly replied, earning what seemed like a well deserved shove in the back. She frowned but nonetheless kept moving. Twigs snapped beneath her light stride. Leaves rummaged and dirt was kicked around. But at this point, she made no effort to keep quiet. If Itachi was going to be paying attention, why shouldn't everyone else. And really, all she was hoping for was some time alone. If she could have just found a quiet place in the woods to sit and think, all would have been well. She could have gotten her bearings straight. She never would have thought that Itachi would still be so controlling to want to follow her.

The trees thickened around her and gently, her hands trailed the towering trunks. She couldn't see the opening they were resting in at all and if she turned away, it was almost like Itachi wasn't there at all. But of course, he trailed her like a shadow. Hinamei slowed, her eyes adjusted and she glared at the trees. They weren't on any sort of path so now the plants had gotten so thick and tangled it would have been a struggle going anywhere at all. With an aggravated sigh she turned around and made to move, until Itachi's strong grip fell firmly onto her arms. Things were so dark she hadn't realized just how close he was to her until she felt the soft heat drifting from his touch. "We're not going any further. Now hurry." Her mind was too busy reeling though to get her legs working so quickly. As she took in a deep breath her chest gently brushed up against Itachi's. His grip tightened and she was wide eyed looking into his thin face. His expression though was unreadable.

"You're close." She whispered, glancing down at his lips as she spoke. Waiting for him to move away, she tensed. And at this point, she would have rather been wrapped back up at the camp. Not here, alone with the one person she _didn't_ want to be alone with. Something caught the light of the sky and she tore her eyes down, instinctively, her hand twitched towards the glow.

"Don't even think about it." Itachi murmured quietly, close to her own mouth. His eyes were penetrating her stare and she pulled her hand back. It would have been a foolish move anyway, she wasn't getting her katana back anytime soon. With a firm push, Itachi released his grip on her and Hinamei stumbled back into the thorny bushes. Painfully, she tucked her arms in to avoid further tearing. "Are you going to go?" He asked darkly, eyeing her suspiciously. Hinamei weighed her options and finally decided as a deep pout marred her face.

"No, I guess not." And firmly she stepped past Itachi, ignoring the snide look he was giving her. Maybe people don't change. And in Itachi's case, maybe they just get worse. She stumbled her way back into the campsite and looked around. Yukio's head was drooping but Kisame's dark beady eyes were taking her in full. Itachi stepped in close behind her and locked his sights. Without saying a word, the girl angrily kicked her way back to her spot where she sat down and crossed her arms. None of this was going according to plan. It was age eight all over again, where Itachi is all knowing and untouchable and she was just there. Taking up room and being too loud. Her pout deepened. Hinamei was too caught up in her head to watch the unsaid conversation unfolding in front of her between the two cloaked men though. Kisame's eyes darted to the girl and then back at Itachi.

He knew, something was amiss and damned if he wasn't going to figure it out. Itachi was, well he was like a stone statue. Unreadable and monotone. But something had changed and if he wasn't mistaken it almost looked like concern. Itachi was being pushed around by this girl and as well as Kisame knew the Uchiha, he understood fully that everyone feared Itachi. But this girl didn't, in fact, she acted like she knew him. Kisame lowered his gaze and let Itachi stalk off, looking angrier than ever. Kisame decided he was going to figure this out, now that he felt almost betrayed by his partner. Were they all playing the same field? He liked to think they were but a coiling feeling in his gut seemed to tell him otherwise. No one got to the Uchiha, but it was evident now, this girl was getting under Itachi's skin and the worst part is that Itachi seemed to be letting her. But as far as Kisame knew, Itachi felt nothing but hate and blood lust. He didn't have a temper, the machine like man only seemed to have one setting.

It was all too weird. As Kisame closed his eyes he reassured himself that this was all another mission. Tedious and tiring. And maybe that was the problem, he just hadn't had enough sleep lately. But regardless, Kisame would talk about it later.

* * *

_"Ita-chan, let me out!" The small girl cried out helplessly, her fists beating at the door that separated her from Itachi. From the other side of the door she could feel the pressure from Itachi as he leaned against it._

_"You wanted to know how to be brave didn't you? Well, we're starting here!" He yelled back, pushing his back up firmly against the door. It rattled again though and the young boy couldn't help but sigh and deepen the already deep frown on his face. Only two weeks ago Hinamei had asked Itachi to teach her to be brave like he was. After the incident with the thunderstorm, she found herself determined to be like Itachi. Plus, he was almost willing to do anything so he didn't have to face that situation again. He really hated pretending to be nice to her, she was too old to still be acting like a baby. Hinamei let out another loud cry and he heard her slump to the ground. A smirk quickly found its way to his lips. The best solution to the problem came easily. He took one of her biggest fears and made it a reality. Because he couldn't even count on his fingers how many times he had been forced to coddle her when things were dark. Like every little girl, she was terrified of it. Not being able to see anything, the way it always seemed to consume you. Girls like her hated that, so he did what anyone else would have done in his situation._

_He locked her in the dark closet and plainly told her that she couldn't come out until she was no longer scared. It seemed like it would have been easier when he first thought about it. Quietly, a small murmur came from inside the door. "Ita-chan, please. It's really scary in here." She sounded on the verge of tears. Another thing Itachi hated about her. The boy rolled his eyes upwards. He could have easily brushed her off again, with the final stage of the chuunin exams drawing closer, he really needed to. But instead he chose to occupy his time with Hinamei. And there she sat, like always, complaining. "...please." He should have known, Hinamei never pulled through with anything. Almost reluctantly, the boy stepped away from the door and unlatched it. The small girl quickly came tumbling out. As ever, dramatic._

_"I'm not helping you again." He said hastily, eyeing her as she looked around with a tear streaked face. She met his impatient look with a glare._

_"Well you didn't have to lock me in a closet!" She yelled, making Itachi cringe. Did he even have to say how much he hated that too?_

_"I'm done anyways, I'm going home." But before he could even make to walk away Hinamei reached out and tugged on the hem of his pants. "What now?" He asked coldly. Hinamei pulled herself up to a full standing position and looked Itachi in the eyes. He was still taller than her but she was getting closer._

_"I'm sorry I wasted your time." And there she went again, Itachi tried hard to push away that guilty feeling but it rose up anyways and he found himself looking away awkwardly._

_"I never said you wasted my time," he mumbled while looking away. He tried hard not to notice Hinamei's face brighten as he said it, but her beaming was hard to ignore. "I mean, you did waste my time. But at least you didn't start crying till ten minutes in." He crossed his arms and started to walk away again. "I've got to start training. I can't afford to fail this next test Hinamei." The girl tucked her hands together in front of her and watched on brightly._

_"Can I at least watch?"_

_Itachi considered it momentarily before he answered with a shrug. "As long as you don't get in the way, I guess." But he wasn't going to wait on her. He immediately strode forward and ignored her as she tried hard to fall in line with him. They left her empty house and quickly made their way down the long dirt road. Both quiet until Hinamei spoke up again._

_"Ita-chan?"_

_"What?" He shot her a hard glance and she looked away sheepishly._

_"Thanks anyway."_

_And even with the smirk edging on his lips, he still only managed to answer with a short 'hn'..._

She hadn't meant to fall asleep.

When she woke it was sudden, painful almost as she shook away the blackened memories that often came back to haunt her when she fell asleep. "Stupid dreams," she mumbled, musing her bleary eyes with her hands. They always came back like this, the good memories. Except they hit her like a boulder, every time. Even if she was getting more and more used to it. She stretched but the pain was almost suffocating. Her body felt stiff from falling asleep in the crouched position she was in and she forced herself to next time at least try to lie down when she felt tired. The girl sat up and finally looked around, to her surprise, she was awake before anyone else. Everyone was still, even Kisame was taking deep, heavy breaths that told her he wasn't as aware as he liked to think. But when she snapped her head to her right she was startled to find Itachi was more alert than ever. His cold eyes were staring at her, like he had been staring for some time and she was only just now feeling the effects. "Don't do that." She snapped hastily, looking away and slumping back against the tree. Itachi looked away and stared off into the distance instead.

"You mumble in your sleep," Itachi said absentmindedly then. Hinamei stilled and shifted a little away from him. "It's interesting." Despite the warning signs, she couldn't help but give into her curiosity.

"About what?"

"About me." He answered simply, sending a shudder down her aching spine. Next time, she reminded herself, don't ask. She stretched her legs out and rubbed the tension out of her muscles. And even though the thought was now gnawing at her, she didn't bother asking what she had said. Especially after the dream she had roused from, she'd hate to imagine she was mumbling anything regarding Itachi so affectionately. That was something she definitely didn't want to know. Hinamei glanced back over at Itachi and for a slight moment she felt bad. He looked terrible. The deep creases under his eyes were more apparent than ever and he looked pale. More than usual that is. His movements seemed lacking its usual grace, it was obvious he hadn't slept much, if at all that night. There was that underlying pressure on his shoulders that she always remembered seeing. Back in the day when his biggest obstacle was passing a test and grading higher than everyone else. It was hard to imagine he was even the same person, but she knew his ten year old self was still in there somewhere. Locked away and crying out.

Times like these she really missed Shisui. He always had a way about him. No matter how stressed and angry Itachi ever was, Shisui could take it away instantly. Just his presence used to ease Itachi's frustrations. In ways Hinamei could only ever dream of doing. Who knows, maybe if Itachi hadn't completely lost his mind Shisui might have actually made him into a tolerable person. Hinamei snorted, no, not even that was possible.

Like a switch, Kisame's breathing changed and both Uchiha's looked over. The man roused lightly from his sleep and looked around, obviously confused for a slight second. Once he got his mind worked out he grunted and looked away. "I thought we were leaving early." Itachi closed his eyes at the words.

"We are. I figured you needed the sleep. We aren't so off schedule." But Kisame wasted no time. He stood up tall and dusted himself off, stretching as he fully righted himself.

"Next time I say we rent a hotel." Itachi didn't answer but even Hinamei found herself yearning for the feel of a real bed. Sleeping on the ground was much too animalistic for her standards anyways. She pulled her head out of her fantasy just as Kisame was roughly nudging Yukio awake. She cringed at the thought of his tender bruises getting worse but she knew she wouldn't be able to do much on her own. She wasn't there yet. But there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she soon would be. "Get up, kid." He said gruffly. Evidently, Kisame was even in a fouler mood first thing in the morning. Really, she didn't have the slightest clue how him and Itachi got along so well. Maybe it was the whole murder thing they had in common, either way, it seemed out there. Yukio winced but pulled his eyes open. Hinamei beamed at him the best she could before she too was getting hassled to stand up. And again, she couldn't help but notice there was something off with Itachi.

He was stiffer than usual and his eyes seemed almost unsure. Small details, but if one knew Itachi well enough, they were blaringly obvious.

"We should get to the leaf's border within the week if we hurry." Itachi said softly, looking over at Kisame somewhat business like. The other man only nodded and re-secured the sword to his back.

"Nice to know it won't take long to get back to the base," Kisame grunted. "If we get back fast enough maybe this time we'll get some damn rest in." Yukio listened in carefully but Hinamei's head was now swimming with anxious thoughts. Why would they be passing through the leaf village? Surely Itachi wouldn't be welcome back after what he had done, one would think he would want to actually stay as far away from it as possible. But the thought had already seeded itself into her mind and she was formulating a plan that surely would leave their chance of escape open. Maybe, this wasn't such a bad idea.

Her dark eyes flashed to Yukio and he met hers with a cool blue. Tired and wary but still, he saw the troublesome glimmer in her eyes. The girl grinned and later she promised herself to inform him that they would be escaping sooner than either thought. To the very place she was forced to flee from so long ago.

She might actually have to start thanking Itachi for becoming so careless.

* * *

The placement was, Kisame and Yukio at one end of the small circle barren of trees, and then directly across sat Hinamei and himself. Everybody but Itachi was caught up sleep. But his attention was only on one person and she was currently whimpering at images he couldn't see. His dark eyes ran the length of her body and the girl shifted, her hair falling more into her face. Itachi outstretched his thin fingers and stopped but inches away from her pale features. Should he give in? Instinctively, his eyes flashed towards Kisame. The man was still just as numbly asleep as before, he should have been more alert. But Itachi wasn't complaining and he stole his eager sights back towards the girl. Slowly, his fingers drifted behind a large lock of dark hair and he lifted it until he could see her face. She looked even more troubled than he thought. He quickly tucked the lock behind her ear and his hand came back to rest on his leg.

He shouldn't have done that.

With a small sigh he leaned back, eyes rolling up towards the sky. What he wouldn't give to be able to sleep again...

Suddenly, a small noise caught his attention. It was slight but the words caught his ear like it had been screamed inches from his face. "Ita-chan...please..." He didn't need to look at her, it would only ruin the illusion. If he did look all he would see is her pale face contorted in pain. But with his eyes closed and head tilted back, he could still pretend things were okay. He could still see her, age ten. Wild and free, with budding sunflowers tangled in her hair. "...please." And as quietly as the words left her full lips, he murmured something back for only the night to hear.

"Please, forgive me Hinamei."

* * *

**A/N:** The tension is driving me insane D: They really just need to kiss and make up, like now :( Someone needs to slap Itachi.

Pfft. Anyways, I told you I'd have it out soon. What? It's been like three days. How's that for service? And as always, thanks to my lovely reviewers and readers :') those e-mailed notifications make me so happy. Ily. So, what do you think is going to happen in the end? I have the ending locked away in my head but when I look at it, it can go a million different ways. I'm interested in seeing what other people can take from it :)


	10. The Bottom of Everything

Chapter Ten:

"The Bottom of Everything."

* * *

It was one particular morning, sometime late December almost a year ago. Hinamei woke early, according the rules inlaid in Kame's household, it was good to begin early. She thought otherwise, but rules were rules. The girl shook her tousled hair out with her hand and yawned widely, wincing at the premature light that leaked in through her windows. Mornings never truly began without a hot cup of tea. Her feet touched the ground and slowly, she made her way out of her bedroom and in towards the kitchen. Her eyes were still mostly shut, so as she heated up her tea and then reached into the fridge to find the cream, it could have been anyone's mistake to pull out the gin instead of the cream. With another strangled yawn she stirred her drink and slowly held the cup to her mouth, blowing on the small tendrils of steam that flowed out of it. And it wasn't until the liquid was in her mouth did she notice something was off. Hinamei choked back and quickly pushed her cup away, forcing the sour drink down her mouth. Now, with her eyes wide open she glared down at the tea and wiped her mouth off on her sleeve. The girl glanced up and eyed the bottle of clear liquid on the counter. That was not cream.

And that was how a problem evolved.

She slunk over to the bottle and opened it up, smelling it and then curiously holding the bottle up to her mouth. With a slight tilt of her wrist she poured a small amount into her parted lips. It was far from pleasant but still, she remained curious. She didn't drink much but days later she found herself wanting more and again, she stole from the bottle until one night her vision had blurred and every cold thought in her brain had been completely wiped out. And then she discovered that when the alcohol was in her system, there was no Itachi, no murder. There was nothing. A feeling she missed more than she could ever admit and it was hard after she sobered up to find herself not missing it.

And now she stood, eyes heavy and mouth dry as she walked along side a boy with a bad attitude and two criminals who were as cold as their reputation said they were. So it wasn't hard to understand that now, more than ever, she wanted a hard drink to soothe her thoughts over. All of them had begun to see it. She hardly spoke, even to Yukio. But he was smart enough to see that any conversation with her wouldn't be much of one, instead it would sound like an argument. But it really wasn't her fault everything she said came out sounding mean and bitter. "We've been walking for hours now, I can't take much more of this." She said sharply, narrowing her eyes at Itachi's back. He had started to ignore her, his eyes never strayed above her collarbone and every time a series of words spewed from her mouth he would only tighten his jaw and focus his eyes on anything but the girl. A notion she really didn't take kindly to. "And, I'm thirsty and hungry. If you don't handle this I will be dead before anyone can get their hands on me." Yukio only looked away, feeling a blush creep into his cheeks.

Needless to say, she was embarrassing him.

They had all been walking for nearly three days, which meant they didn't have long until they reached the edge of the leaf village. So Yukio made sure to bite his tongue at every moment, only because he was so desperate to escape. And for a small second, he wished Hinamei had the decency to do so also. But some things were asking for too much.

"Why is no one answering me?" Hinamei asked slowly, glancing around from Itachi to Yukio and then finally to Kisame. Neither responded and angrily she glowered over her shoulder. This was all dragging on for too long. She needed to be near the leaf, she needed her escape. Without it she felt some impending doom rising towards her. It was as if her only chance of survival was escape, despite Itachi telling her she wasn't being led to her death by them. She couldn't help but feel like something was amiss. The sun sat high in the sky right then, and every time it filtered in through the trees she could feel her skin burning through her clothes. After living for so long in the village she had been, she had forgotten just how hot the fire country was this time of year. Miserable, she never liked it not even as a child. Somewhere in her head she had always thought it got its name from it's extreme temperatures, like someone would burst into flames just walking down the road. But maybe she was over exaggerating because out of everyone she ever knew, she was the only one bothered by the heat.

Besides, she heard the sand village had it much worse off.

Hinamei's stomach clenched and the girl pathetically slapped her hand against her tight torso. "Can't we just brake for a bit? I don't feel well." The brute of a ninja glanced over at his partner and roughly, he glared in irritation. He had never met someone who complained so much and it was finally grating on his nerves. Kisame had known many drunks in his lifetime but this girl surely was one of the worst. And even so, he hated to imagine how annoying she became when she did get the alcohol in her system. Beady black eyes shot towards his partner and with a dark growl, Kisame was going to hit the problem head on.

"What do you suppose we do to shut her up Itachi? Orders or not, I can't take much more of her whining." Itachi glanced back and sighed, shaking his head slightly. He was getting a headache himself. The kind he hadn't gotten since he lived back in the leaf and had to deal with her whining every day nearly. These people, they didn't even know the worst of it.

"Yes, I understand. I've got an idea."

* * *

Yukio winced at the sight. Hinamei was really, _really_ unhappy. The girl had a cloth wrapped tightly over her mouth, shutting out anything that wasn't a muffling scream. Her hands too were tied, secured behind her back like some kind of prisoner. The boy sighed, she really had brought this upon herself. Kisame held tightly to her shirt collar and even if she decided to not comply, he would drag her the rest of the way. Any of it was better than hearing her babble all day. Her dark eyes flashed to Itachi, but he only smirked and looked off into the distance. He was enjoying himself more than he should have been.

It wasn't until the trees started to thin out did Yukio really start paying attention. There was a small tourist town just two miles outside of the trees, and according to the two mumbling men in front of them it was the perfect place to stop for the night and get a hotel. He took a deep breath and let the small smile form on his lips. He needed a bed, bad. His knees were trembling and every step he took he knew was a step closer to collapsing. As it was his head was already spinning. "How much longer do you suppose?" Kisame asked quietly to Itachi. Hinamei flashed her eyes back at the pair, mouth still biting hard on the cloth that was secured painfully around her face.

"Two more days, if we move fast." The Uchiha replied. "We'll move past the leaf and should arrive at the river country shortly after."

"Overall then?" Kisame grunted, nudging Hinamei in the spine to move faster. She did, grudgingly though.

"Two, maybe three more weeks since we're walking at the pace we are." Farther down the road Hinamei could see the lights of a small town, it was made to look festive but from her point of view it only looked more daunting than anything else. "Untie her," Itachi said quietly and without another word Kisame bent down and roughly undid the knot that covered her face. Hinamei gasped loudly and rubbed out her jaw, shooting a poignant look in Itachi's direction. She opened her mouth to speak but Itachi glared a cold warning and she quickly looked away angrily. The dirt road took a sharp left turn into a small village. There were old style houses and a large temple looming on her right, lit up now with candles and paper lanterns. On the opposite side stood a large hotel where presumably they would all sleep tonight. There were shops and small restaurants further down the way but she knew she wasn't going to be getting any of that soon. The hotel looked nice enough, it was big and painted in a gaudy gold paint with bright red accents, lit up from the outside by tall posts. Hinamei fell back in stride with Yukio as the two men walked through the doors quietly. They advanced the desk and started talking and Hinamei took her small chance. She grabbed Yukio by his uninjured arm and pulled him closer to her body. He reacted with wide eyes.

"Two more days alright? We'll sneak out while they sleep and we'll escape into the leaf. Easy enough."

"And if we get caught?" Yukio hissed back, looked over at the two that were speaking. Neither glanced back. "They'll kill us. Okay, well maybe not you but they'll definitely kill me." Hinamei winced but pressed forward harder.

"I hate to break it to you kid but sooner or later we'll both be disposed of. I'm telling you, this is our only option." Yukio glanced at his feet and sighed, he turned his face back up to hers with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Fine, but if you get me killed-"

"Shush, they're coming." Hinamei turned around on her heel and glowered up at the two who walked towards them. Neither of them looked too happy either.

"Boy, you're coming with me. And you," Kisame pointed a painted finger at Hinamei and her stomach dropped. "You'll be going with Itachi." She blanched over at the other Uchiha and shook, he looked more miserable than she did! No, she couldn't do this. It was bad enough having to stand by him, but sleeping in a room with him? They were asking too much.

"Why can't I sleep in your room!" She cried out, stepping towards Kisame almost pleadingly. He edged away with a look of insult on his face.

"Because I don't want you to. At least the other brat stays quiet, I can't deal with the headache's your voice gives me." Hinamei stepped back offended. Sure her voice was a little high but really, it wasn't that bad. She glared, stupid boys. They really were all the same.

"Well I don't want to stay in a room with _him."_ She said firmly, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest. Yukio looked down at the ground, frightened. He really hated the taller man, he had already been beaten to a pulp once by him. The last thing he wanted was to sleep in the same room. At this point, he'd gladly crawl in with Itachi. At least then maybe he'd get ignored at most. Itachi put his head up and sighed, pulling the key out.

"We don't have time for this. You're coming." His eyes lit up mischievously as he stared Hinamei down. "If it makes it any easier on you I can easily tie you up again." Despite knowing what context he spoke in Hinamei couldn't help the fierce blush that was creeping into her cheeks as he said it. She was silenced quickly. The four of them made their way down the hall, and the first to leave were Kisame and Yukio. Kisame slipped in the room but before Yukio could go in Hinamei stepped away from Itachi's side and embraced the smaller boy tightly. She pulled away and looked into his eyes with a half smile.

"Trust me, alright. Just try to get some sleep." Yukio looked away eagerly.

"Easier said than done." She didn't get another chance to say anything more though as Kisame was already barking orders from inside. Yukio gave her one last smart glance before sealing himself inside with the rogue ninja. It was troublesome, she couldn't shake the nerve swelling up in her stomach. Itachi began walking and Hinamei followed wordlessly. They were four doors down and when Itachi unlocked the door, she happily sighed seeing the two beds that were there. There would have been no way if there would have only been one bed, it wouldn't have been a pretty fight. With her arms stiff at her side she followed the boy in, he shut the door behind her.

"Just go to sleep." Itachi said quietly after he locked the door. Obviously he wasn't too grand on the idea of having to share a room with her either. Hinamei ignored him and she quickly sat down on the bed. It was stiff but already it was better than the ground and after all the walking she had done the past few days, her legs were warily thanking her for the rest. Reluctantly her eyes pulled towards Itachi, watching as he unlatched his cloak and shoes, finally he pulled off his shirt and she had to force herself to look away. She only undressed once he had turned the light off. Her clothes were dirty, she would have to get a shower in the morning. She hadn't felt this dirty since she ran away barefoot from the leaf. A shiver went down her spine and she slipped underneath the blankets. The room was filled with an eerie silence, and despite feeling beaten and sore, her eyes weren't falling down. There was a single question burning in her brain and the last thing she wanted was to strike up a conversation with her room mate. But she knew there would be no rest until she found a suitable answer.

"Itachi?" She asked quietly, turning over on her bed to face Itachi's bed. He replied with a mumble but she knew he wasn't sleeping either. "Am I going to die?" In the ensuing darkness she could tell Itachi's breathing changed. He took in a sharp but small intake of breath and held it for a slight second before releasing and replying.

"You really should at least try to sleep Hinamei." She rolled her eyes and turned onto her back.

"You know better than anyone how stupid that is to ask of me." Itachi grumbled and she smirked. "Besides, you're not going to be sleeping anytime soon."

"Not with you talking, no." Her smirk disappeared and instead she found herself glaring daggers at the ceiling. Finally, she pulled herself onto her elbow and sat up looking at him. Now that her eyes had adjusted she could see Itachi lying there, arms behind his head with the blankets tugged down low at his hips. His torso was finely chis sled and slender and as he breathed, she watched it fall in soft waves. "Stop staring," he finally said, looking back at her through the darkness.

"Well maybe you should put a shirt on," she mumbled smartly. Immediately after the words left her mouth she shut her eyes firmly. How stupid. She hoped at first he hadn't heard but when a small grunt left his mouth she realized hoping wasn't enough. After all, he was a shinobi. Highest in his class.

"I see you still haven't grown up. I was hoping our experience would have at least taught you to be a little more mature than you were. I must admit I am disappointed." Her fists clenched from underneath the blankets and her breathing got sharper. "Have I upset you?" He asked in a steely, mocking voice. That only seemed to insult her further.

"This is why you never had friends Itachi, you're not better than me or anyone else. Stop acting so proud." Hinamei hissed at his shadow, the nerve of some people. Whether he was an Uchiha or not, she had stopped using that as an excuse. It was plausible that Itachi alone was just arrogant and cruel, Uchiha blood having nothing to do with it.

"I seem to remember you being quite fond of me for many years."

"Yeah well I wasn't your friend," she spat back harshly. She hated that tone more than anything. That careless, easy tone like nothing she said ever seemed to make an impact. But having no soul might have that effect. "And I still can't figure out what Shisui saw in you, maybe he just felt sorry for you." And suddenly, something clicked. Itachi's face grew angry and he sat up and glared over from his side of the room. Now that Kisame wasn't here he felt safe letting his rage out. Just a small amount, the girl deserved it.

"Hinamei, shut your mouth or I will gladly shut it for you."

"Oh," the girl shot back icily, "have I upset you? I didn't realize you had any feelings left to hurt. Maybe you're not as callous as you try so hard to look." Sometimes, she really needed to learn to listen. Itachi was fast, faster than she had prepared herself for him to be. His hand was at her shoulder and nimbly, he pushed her back against the bed. He swung one leg over her hips, straddling her as she laid against the bed with her eyes wide open. His sharingan was out and a small pointed weapon was at her throat.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill you myself." Itachi said lowly, flashing back and forth between her own dark eyes. Hinamei swallowed, feeling the prick of the weapon as she did so. Itachi had always been testy but this was just ridiculous.

"Kill me if you like, if you can." Hinamei's voice was quiet, manic slipping in between the edges. His eyes were pressing forward and slowly the knife cut a little deeper into her skin. She winced as the blade made contact. "I don't think you have the nerve though." With a snarl Itachi threw the weapon to the floor and his hand found its way to her throat. Her hands cut upwards, firmly holding onto his bony wrists. Sheets of black hair fell over one shoulder of his, trailing against her own bared shoulders. Itachi's lip was curled back angrily, teeth bared like an animal.

"I didn't ask for this Hinamei, if I had it my way I never would have seen you again." She choked and closed her eyes, maybe he was going to kill her after all. "I should have killed you that day." Her head was getting light and slowly the room began to swim. "You bring back so many unpleasant memories, I_ hate_ this." There was a time she would have been happy seeing this much passion coming from Itachi. Just like the old days he hid it all away. But now he had found the perfect vessel to pour his anger into. And currently, he was cutting the air supply from it. Her nails sunk in deep to his skin and he glared down. "You-" The hand around her throat released itself and she arched her back, choking on the sudden air that flooded into her lungs. But she didn't have much time as soon his other hand was tangled in her dark tresses and he was pulling her up towards him. With one hand in her hair his other quickly found its way to her lower back and he pressed her up against his rapidly rising chest.

What happened next she couldn't believe. Or maybe yet, she refused to.

Itachi crushed his lips into hers, bruising the tender pink flesh. The hand on her back dug nails into her skin, and she could feel the skin break under his immense pressure. Itachi wasted no time and with a small movement he had her lip caught between his teeth, sharp and eager. At first Hinamei felt the need to fight him. She was scared, Itachi had never touched her like this. Sure he had kissed her before but never had she experienced a kiss so raw. But the moment quickly caught up with her and despite the warning in her mind she pressed herself up closer against his warm body. He fell against the bed, pinning her beneath him. Her hand tangled in his hair and she pulled him closer, but with a small growl he slapped her hand away and pinned it against the bed so she could hardly move. He pulled away slightly. "You were my biggest mistake." She breathed heavy onto his parted lips and eagerly he went in again, roughly pressing up against her until she could feel her aching bones straining under his weight. His mouth moved hungrily to her neck, taking small nips at her milky skin until she was whimpering whenever he made contact. "I should have rid you of my life when I had the chance." He removed his arm from her hand and raked it down the side of her body until he had wrapped his fingers around her hips and he throttled her body closer in motion with his. "I can't understand why I couldn't kill you."

Hinamei forced open her eyes and angrily she pulled away from his touch. "I ask myself the same question," she breathed heavily and Itachi slowed down, looking up at her with eyes bright like fire. He pressed his forehead against hers and pressed his fingers roughly into her neck. His lips were inches away from hers again.

"Do you want to die?" He asked lowly, eyes still darting over her face. Searching for something she couldn't give him.

"No, not anymore." The passion lingered over them like a dark cloud. It took all she had to fight the urges waging inside her body and by Itachi's pained face she could see he was too. But this was far from right. In fact, things had never felt more wrong. They were both too angry, too confused to be doing this. He didn't want what she wanted and even if he did, there was no way to attain it again. "I'm stronger than you give me credit for." Slowly, Itachi sat himself up and stared down at her. A lingering smirk touched at his lips and slowly, he wrapped his fingers round her chin and forced her eyes back to his face.

"Maybe I do, but you're still weak Hinamei." Itachi let her chin go and angrily, she tore her eyes to the floor. Saying nothing as he left her bed and slowly stepped over to his own. She only closed her eyes when she knew he was back in his own bed. "This meant nothing," he finally said once the room fell back to being silent.

Hinamei rolled over and shuddered the thin sheets close to her chest. "You couldn't be more right Itachi," she mumbled. Itachi turned away from her and it wasn't until she knew he was asleep did she finally curl up and cry.

* * *

**A/N:** I went there. *A* I feel bad about it but really, Itachi's a jerk. There is no changing that. This chapter wasn't as long as I would have liked it to be but eh, it felt finished to me. I have to admit, I've been spending a lot more time on a different story rather than sticking with this one fully. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to finish this story. I have to, It would kill me if I didn't D: but I'm so excited for my next one. I don't know what it is but writing about the Uchiha boys is so much fun. Which makes no sense because they are kind of all the same *shot* I'm just hoping the idea isn't too out there. Either way, I'll whore it out more when it gets closer to the time. In the mean time, keep reading :D


	11. The Heart He Forgot He Had

Chapter Eleven:

"The Heart He Forgot He Had."

* * *

When Hinamei slept, it often didn't take long for the dream cycle to start reeling within the confines of her mind. There was little she could do to stop it, especially when it had already started. But somewhere in the real world, fingers were prying at her arm. Gently, she could feel herself being rocked back alive. A soft voice was muttering in close to her neck and even through the haze of sleep, she could feel a gentle breath on her collarbone. She struggled, pulling away from whatever it was that held her until a soft echo reached her spinning head. "Hinamei, wake up." It was just the breeze of a sentence but there was no mistaking that voice. Once soft and sweet, now was under laid with arrogance and cruel intent. Even when half asleep, those tones didn't escape her.

"Itachi, what do you want?" Hinamei mumbled back, clumsily asleep. The girl blinked upwards and slowly turned towards the looming shadow above her. She squinted and pressed her mouth together, wondering if Itachi even ever slept.

"Come with me," he said simply. He stood up and grabbed something from the small desk in the corner and once he stood by the door, he looked back expectantly. The girl nuzzled into her arm before another clear warning reached her. "Hinamei..." With an aggravated sigh the girl sat up, still dizzy from being woken up in such an unpleasant manner. She threw her feet over the bed and slowly stepped onto the wooden tiles. Her skin gently stuck to the icy cold floor and with a shudder on her shoulders, she opened her eyes fully. The window shades were open and to her dismay, it was still dark outside. She couldn't have been asleep for more than three hours. Under Itachi's watchful eyes, she crossed her arms, eyes scattering to find her clothes strewn across the floor. It wasn't like he hadn't seen it before anyways. After slipping into her clothes she gingerly stepped into her shoes and stood tall next to Itachi's shoulders. He glanced down and even in the dark, she could have sworn he was smirking at her. "Stay quiet." He whispered, opening the door and sliding out of the doorway like a shadow. She followed wordlessly. Itachi was significantly taller than she was and as he stalked in front of her she watched him in full. He had pulled his hair back and had slipped into his billowing cloak once more, his face remained impassive though he did glance back every now and then to make sure she was still following. When they advanced the front doors of the hotel, he pulled it back and stepped aside, Hinamei walked past him with a glower firmly stuck on her face. When he pulled the door shut, she opened her mouth to speak but was quickly silenced when he held up his hand.

The cold air bristled on her arms, wrapping around her stiff limbs almost unbearably. Itachi might have had the sense of mind to bring his cloak but she stalked by trembling like a leaf, glancing at the other Uchiha like he should do something about it. But he never did and that really didn't surprise her. They walked until the reached the edge of the small town and were faced with the snaking dirt road that led them here. Itachi pointed a finger frontwards and with a pitfall in her stomach she realized he was taking her to the forest. Where he might have her killed just to get it over with, she knew she should have kept her mouth shut. "What are you doing with me?" She asked quietly, fingers digging into the numbly cold flesh of her arms. Itachi only looked back, not satisfying her with an answer. And instantly she stopped walking. "Answer me, dammit!"

Itachi stopped short and sighed, turning towards her with a worn expression on his face. "Stop being so paranoid." He answered shortly. "I want to see how far you've come, well, since our last fight got interrupted."

"You-you want to spar with me?" She asked, turning her head in confusion. "At this hour?"

"We can't possibly be interrupted this time, not when everyone is sleeping." He replied almost obviously. She furrowed her brow and pinched her mouth shut. "Now, hurry up." And he briskly moved off across the road, she followed bitterly. When they reached the edge of the trees it seemed the air retreated nearly ten degrees colder. Her fingers were going numb and her teeth were chattering together, and every movement only seemed to make it worse. Itachi let out a low irritated growl and turned towards her, she replied with a sour look despite the fact that her lips were now turning a pale blue color. Itachi said nothing as his hands flitted up to unbutton the collar of his cloak, in one sleek movement he shook it off his shoulders and whipped it behind Hinamei. It rested on her narrow shoulders like a blanket and wordlessly, he numbly re-buttoned it at her neck. She only stared up at him curiously. "You should have brought a jacket." He replied lowly, glancing up at her as he fumbled with the last button.

"Well I'm sorry, I didn't think we were going hiking this late at night." Ignoring her jab, he turned away and for a slight second she felt almost guilty for having such a sharp tongue. After all, from where she stood, it almost looked like he was trying to help her. The girl averted her eyes and she wrapped her arms around the fabric of his cloak, nuzzling it close to her face. It smelled like him, inviting and warm. Before she could start walking again, Itachi held a finger up to stop her.

"Stay here, just for a second." She didn't reply and she crouched down towards the ground as he walked away. Watching the silver tint of her katana on his hip as he moved, she closed her heavy eyes. They were in a small opening of trees, it all looked similar to what she had been seeing since they left her village. It was wide enough for them to spar with each other without being blocked by the forest. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ground, conflicting feelings running through her head. She just couldn't wrap her mind around Itachi, not yet anyway. Even though a part of her doubted she ever would. Did he care? Was he building her up only to be disappointed? Hinamei looked away and pushed her eyebrows together, he sure used to like doing that. Well, she wouldn't put it past him. Twigs cracked beneath someone's tread and her attention shot up, meeting Itachi's dark eyes instantly. He was smirking, a sign that didn't seem all that inviting. He reached a slender hand to his hip and unlatched her katana and he threw it to the ground right in front of her. Hinamei reached a hand out but stalled and glanced back up.

"If I'm using the sword, what will you be using?" She asked, finally gripping the smooth handle of the blade. It fit snugly in her hand and she couldn't have been happier to have it back in her grip, right where it belonged.

"Just this." From his left hand he whipped out a thin branch, it was stripped of it's leaves and not much bigger than the width of his thumb. And it all seemed much too familiar for her.

"You're kidding me, right?" Hinamei asked, pulling out her blade as her blood got hotter. Itachi always was arrogant and she had always hated it. Now was no different so it seemed. Itachi only shrugged and he let the ghost of a smile touch at his pale lips. With heavy eyelids he followed her footsteps, knowing full well what he was doing.

"It's all I'll need." The smaller girl smirked, her eyes wide and bright. She wasn't going to let him strike first, no, not with his branch. She'd be damned if he got the best of her _again_. She went left, dragging the tip of her blade in the soft dirt as she strode. Itachi blinked and his face went serious, all except for that sweet curve to his lips that told her he still wasn't taking this seriously. With a sharp turn, Hinamei brought the blade up and swiped sharply where Itachi's shoulder had been. But he was more prepared than she could have given him credit for and at the last second he crouched to the ground. Hinamei's eyes stalled to his shadow but it was too late, his hand flew out and the small willowy branch lashed out against her ankle. If it hadn't been so cold the branch wouldn't have hurt so bad, but it was cold and her welting leg felt like it had been seared with a piece of hot metal. "Come on Hinamei, you wouldn't want to disappoint me now, would you?" Itachi asked tauntingly as he slid back into position and righted himself. Hinamei's head snapped up and she growled, hating that proud look that washed over his face. Despite the throbbing in her ankle she went forward, lashing out at him as fast as he could. His sleeve caught on the edge of her blade and nicked a small hole. Itachi scowled but said nothing as he was being forced to dodge her swift attacks.

She wanted to see blood.

The Uchiha girl snarled, picking up her pace until she might as well have been dancing on the ground. Every fluid strike, every tree that splintered underneath her sword, it was all but inches away from her target. But he was fast and somewhere deep inside her mind she knew she didn't stand a chance. But her chance came through when Itachi's foot slipped on the damp ground and without hesitation she jabbed forward.

The air fell quiet and all she could hear was the sound of skin tearing as it was pierced by metal.

Her eyes went wide as the blade sunk deep into Itachi's chest, followed by a large bloom of crimson blood. Skin frayed and tucked around the edges of her katana and she looked up at Itachi's pale face, panic fleeting on her own shocked features. He looked just as startled as she was. "I-Ita..." She began, fingers drifting above the blade. "I didn't mean..."

"Turn around." A voice whispered coldly from over her shoulder and she took in a sharp inhale of breath. Spinning on her heel, Hinamei turned around only to be struck with the branch clear across her face as hard as he could manage. It cut into her numbly cold cheek like steel and with a loud cry she fell to the ground. Her hands dug deep into the wet soil and tears prickled at her eyes. Hastily, she slapped a dirty hand to her cheek and cut her teeth together. Through bleary vision she glanced at the tree where Itachi's body had been but moments before. It was pivoted deep into the tree but it pinned nothing down. A small line of blood crossed her face and she glared up at Itachi as he stood above her. "Hn. I expected better." Itachi threw the stick down next to Hinamei's knees and walked over to the tree where easily, he dislodged the blade from the tree and placed it back into it's holster. "Get up Hinamei, we're finished here."

Her black eyes glowered up and she growled before forcing herself upright, stumbling as she did so. With the back of her hand she wiped the small stream of blood off of her face, eyes never leaving Itachi's waiting grace. "You've lost your mind Itachi." She closed her eyes and then, to Itachi's surprise, she activated her sharingan and stared straight through him. "Make up your mind already!" Her arms threw back and with teeth bared she wasted no time in darting towards him. Itachi was as always fully prepared. He whipped up her blade and cut through the air just as she was coming at him, but three years ago she learned how to evade such an obvious attack. She spun quickly, bringing her knee upwards until the moment where she kicked outwards, striking the blade straight out of Itachi's grip. The katana rattled to the floor and just as Itachi's dark eyes flew towards it Hinamei wasted no time in bringing her fist straight to Itachi's jaw.

His eyes went wide as the force of her attack sent him reeling back. His back hit a firm tree, shaking it's branches till tendrils of leaves fluttered down around them. Hinamei stood in front of him, breathing heavily with her fisted hand still shaking from impact. From the force of her strike, he wouldn't have been surprised if she had split her knuckles. His fingers drifted to his jaw and tenderly he touched the area she had bruised. To his surprise, it still hurt. "Why won't you..." Hinamei began, she let her head fall and a small laugh left her lips. When she snapped her head back up her sharingan was cleared and it was suddenly very obvious the pain that fleeted behind her eyes. "Just admit you still love me..." Itachi stared at her, wordlessly. His eyes remained impassive, clear and that frustrated her more than anything. "Do I need to say it!" She cried out and Itachi didn't move as Hinamei burst forward, wrapping her hands around his collar until their chests were pressed together. "No matter how many times you hurt me, betray me, Itachi I will always love you." His eyes flashed towards hers and he watched on as she shut her eyes, unable to look at him any longer. "I want to hate you," she brought her fist weakly down upon his chest and he closed his eyes. "I should hate you, but I-I can't...and it kills me everyday." With another frail hit the girl collapsed onto Itachi's chest, shuddering into his shirt. Despite all the warning signs in his body he held a hand up and gently pressed it to her back, forcing her body closer to his. After a moment of silence Hinamei pulled away, looking up at him expectantly. "Aren't you going to say something?"

Itachi looked down at her, her bruised eyes brimming with pain, her pale mouth quivering and wet. She was still wearing his cloak, it was almost endearing the way it hung off her shoulders and enveloped her hands completely. His dark eyes fell to a lock of hair spun close to her cheek, his fingers flexed upwards to tuck it behind her ear but then, he stopped. "You could never understand." He said shortly, his hand fell back to his side and his eyes trespassed her face to instead stare behind her. "I won't let them hurt you Hinamei, but, you have to trust me." Her eyes sped back and forth, trying to keep up with his slightly changing expressions. He looked hurt, like every word that left this mouth left him aching. "Just play along, you've done well already. But you can't let anyone know I'm helping you."

"I-" Hinamei looked away, torn between thoughts until her eyebrows tilted upwards and she closed her eyes, a sigh drifting. "I promise, I won't." And she pressed forward once more and nuzzled into his chest, pressing her palms flat against his collarbone. "All I can do is trust you at this point," she muttered. "After all, you're all I have left."

And then, the heart he forgot he had broke in two.

* * *

"Trust him," she muttered into his shoulder. Yukio glared over at her and sparing a quick glance at their captors, he hissed back angrily.

"Have you gone mad? Don't tell me I need to remind you what he did to you." Hinamei rolled her eyes and straightened back up, locking her sights with the sky she smiled broadly upwards.

"No, I've got a good feeling about this." She rolled her head back down towards the shorter boy and winked. "Trust _me_ a little bit, will you?" The boy only responded with a snort before he turned away. "Anyways, how was your night?"

"Don't even get me started," Yukio said sadly. "That man is a walking nightmare, I swear. Even when he's sleeping." Hinamei smirked and threw an arm around Yukio's narrow shoulders, shaking him a bit.

"Well don't worry kid, we'll be out of this soon. He won't let anything hurt us." Her eyes flitted back to Itachi and a small smile touched the edges of her lips. Things were looking up after all.

They had left early that morning and to her surprise Itachi was acting a little less cold and a lot less threatening. But of course, when in the presence of Kisame he acted downright awful, but that was to be expected. And she didn't hold any of it against him. She had always known there was more to him, he had secrets. Of course, who didn't? But his were darker and in a way defined him as a person. It wasn't his fault and then she was glad she always tried to see the good in him. At least he was trying, right? Yukio might have thought she had lost her mind but he just didn't know. Soon enough he would, surely Itachi had something hidden up his sleeve and this wouldn't end in heartbreak, like things in her life often times did. The dirt road winded far above them but she didn't mind walking now. The air was clear and the sun gently prickled the skin on her shoulders. She had managed to slip in a shower that morning and was happy with how much better she felt after removing many layers of dirt. Not much could ruin her day.

Itachi shot her a warning glance and she stiffened. She was acting too at ease and she knew it. With a sour look she looked away, trying hard to hide the overwhelming relief that flooded her system. Maybe they wouldn't have to run away after all. The day was uneventful, they stopped once to eat and Yukio and Hinamei kept to themselves. They whispered secret conversations to each other and neither rogue ninja seemed to notice, nor care.

Every now and then Yukio would stare at Itachi, his eyebrows pushed together and his mouth a thin line. He was hiding something, the boy was sure of it. Blue eyes fell to his hands and he flexed his slender fingers from beneath the shelter of his gloves. He was going to find out. Hinamei was easily manipulated. It didn't take an expert to figure that one out. And if she was going to be careless then it was going to be his job to keep them alive. She would thank him later for it.

As the day wore thin and the sun began to set, Kisame and Itachi settled on a small rocky place to take shelter for the night. They weren't far from the border of the leaf village, maybe an hour or two off. But neither wanted to risk settling down too close to the border and risk getting scouted out. Hinamei and Yukio sat at one end and Itachi and Kisame sat on the other. Kisame kept mainly to himself, they could all tell the trip was wearing him thin. And Itachi kept his eyes to the sky, his arms inside the safety of his cloak and his legs pulled up to his chest, thinking about things neither of them wanted to know about. "So, we're staying with them?" Yukio asked quietly as he rested his head against Hinamei's thin shoulders. She looked down at his mess of blonde hair and softly drummed her fingers against her outstretched legs.

"For now," she raised one hand and ruffled his wispy blonde hair, to which he replied to with a groan. "You shouldn't worry so much about this." The boy snorted at her and sat up, shaking his hair back out.

"Easy said than done, they might spare your life but I'm obviously expendable. You never did have many friends did you?" He smirked and she delivered a soft punch to his shoulder.

"I had plenty of friends, thank you."

"Oh right," his blue eyes flashed to Itachi and his smiled faded, "because you keep the best company, don't you?" A pained look flashed against Hinamei's eyes but she made quick to cover it up by turning away and making a scoffing sound.

"If you don't shut up I'll break your other arm."

* * *

Everyone was asleep.

Well, mostly everyone. Yukio had his eyes closed and his breath fell in even breaks, but he was far from feeling tired. He had a plan he had to carry out, for his and Hinamei's sake. The girl mumbled something in her sleep to his left and slightly, he turned towards her.

She was saying _his_ name. A notion that made Yukio feel almost sick, Itachi truly didn't deserve it.

He had to get them out of here. Even if it killed them trying, because worse things were sure to happen later. Yukio opened his eyes fully and stared ahead as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Kisame was fast asleep, and he knew because the man slept with his mouth open and in that time, not much could wake him. The blonde boy snorted, some shinobi he was. Underestimating your foe was something that even Yukio himself knew not to do. His eyes trailed over until they rested on Itachi's form. Ever graceful, the man kept his knees to his chest and his head rested against the tree he leaned on. Yukio had been watching him for hours, only recently had his breath evened out and his face finally relaxed. He had to be sleeping, the boy thought with a smirk. Quietly, Yukio put his hand to his mouth and with his teeth, he pulled the glove from his hand.

This was risky, far riskier than anything he had ever done. He glanced over at Hinamei and nodded to himself. At least it was worth it this time. He took a deep breath and then finally, moved forward till he fell on his hands and knees. Hinamei stirred but aside from that, everything remained still. The clearing was small and Itachi was closer to them than Kisame was, it shouldn't be hard. All he needed to know was the truth. He moved slowly, hand stretched out, followed by his still bruised knees. A single tail of the cloak was spread out on the ground in front of him, and if they wore them all the time, he would have no problem getting a reading from it. It was just within reach when a soft sound had him stilled. He snapped his head back and locked eyes with a very confused looking Hinamei. She opened her mouth to speak but when she caught sight of the panicked look on Yukio's face, she shut it. He turned back around and focused, and when that familiar feeling rushed through his fingertips, he placed his unbroken hand on the coat tail.

Bright eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open.

But it was a single memory that had him worried. A memory involving orders from a masked man to go retrieve Hinamei and bring her back alive, only to be killed by this stranger. And Itachi had agreed. He pulled his hand back and moved back, his movement sloppy and sharp. Itachi stirred but still, he didn't wake. When he fell back against the tree, Hinamei turned on him with her mouth cut into a firm line. But he wasn't going to let her lecture him first, "We have to get out of here now." He hissed out, her eyes widened and she slunk back.

"Wh-what did you see?" She asked quietly, almost afraid to know. She knew that reaction, something was wrong.

"Hinamei, he's been lying to you! He took orders, orders to have you killed. If we don't get out now-we're going to die!" Slowly, she turned towards Itachi and she frowned. He had manipulated her, one time to many. She felt like a fool and inside, the pain was nearly unbearable. Her hands coiled into fists and Yukio thought she was going to try to fight now, until she turned towards Yukio and nodded.

"Can you run?" She asked, voice strong and unwavering. She wasn't going to let it get to her this time, she was stronger than that. And Itachi didn't deserve anymore from her. Yukio stiffly nodded and Hinamei surveyed forward and nodded. "Alright, move fast and don't look back. If they start to trail us, lose them at all costs. I will find you if we get separated." He made to shift upwards but her hand stopped him and he looked back curiously. "And...thank you Yukio. I'm so sorry." His heart swelled but he merely answered with a shrug.

"Save it, you can buy me something nice when we get out of here." A small smile touched at her lips and she nodded.

Hinamei closed her eyes and let the chakra flow to her legs, she had to move fast even if she was exhausted. This was no time for inaccuracies. All her training, it had to be for something. She pulled herself into a crouching position, eyes flashing towards the two sleeping men in front of her and she smirked. With a single nod towards Yukio, they broke apart and took off into the trees at break neck speed. Itachi opened his eyes and glanced over where just a moment before the two had been sitting.

He would give her some time while she thought she was getting somewhere, he didn't want her to hate him anymore than she already did. He nestled back into the tree and closed his eyes.

Stupid Hinamei, she really hadn't changed much.

* * *

**A/N:** Did anyone else watch the season finale of glee last night or am I the only totally lame person here who is completely obsessed with that show? Eh? Eh?

ಠ_ಠ

Okay. Well it was amazing. Well actually it really kind of sucked but my two gaybies exchanged "I love you's" and I just about lost it. And then I finished the chapter, lool. OKAY anyways, I'm so excited for the upcoming chapters :D! And you should be too! If anyone wants to leave me some nice motivation words under the review section, please do ;) In the mean time, lets all be angry at Itachi for being such a weenie.


	12. The Surfacing of Years Once Lost

**A/N:** Long time no see, eh? Okay, okay I know. My bad. But first, let me explain. My laptop broke. Well, it's not unfixable but it's well beyond what I can afford. And then, because my luck has never extended to anything beyond my smallest finger, my brother-in-laws computer broke. SO, I go to the library, hoping to be able to update there and lo and behold I CAN'T.

FML.

So now after a daring break in to my apartment complex's main office, I sit here in the dark trying to upload this before I get caught and hauled off for breaking and entering. All for you my lovelies.

Okay, so that last part was a total lie, but still this whole thing has really sucked balls. But anyways, I do what I'm able to to update so I really hope you all enjoy it (and that I haven't lost all my readers by now). I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again but keep an eye out because it could be whenever I find my lucky break. Thank you for understanding and reading this and so very sorry for my long and awful author's note.

* * *

Chapter Twelve:

"The Surfacing of Years Once Lost."

* * *

There is a defining moment in every singular life where events nearly seem to unite. A moment where every decision and mistake ever made seems to compel you forward towards some obtuse, deeper meaning. And maybe then things would start to make sense.

Unfortunately for Hinamei, this wasn't that moment.

Instead it felt reversed. As if every trial and error, every regret, suddenly dulled in comparison to _this_ particular moment. For all she knew, running away from her captors had been as effective as signing away her life. And though she knew she wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, she suddenly felt inclined to believe that every negative word against her might not have been in such bad taste after all.

A notion that was as depressing as it was likely to be true.

Returning to _that_ particular moment in time, only two long minutes had passed since her escape. Which Hinamei used rightly to panic and imagine her demise over and over in her head. As if to mark her point, she daringly shot her blackened eyes over her shoulder, tense and prepared to find two rogue ninja already trailing her. Kunai brandished and all. But curiously, her trail was empty and the only sound wavering on the air was the soft tread of her foot falls as she fell farther and farther away from the camp site. Yet not seeing them wasn't a reason to start breathing already. A deep frown tightened her lips. This whole charade had been much too easy. Itachi was no fool. She didn't much know about Kisame but without a doubt Itachi was cunning enough for the both of them. Easily. Her thin fingers dug into the soft flesh of her palm and she ground her teeth together.

This was just downright unfair. Was it really too much to ask for to have one break? Not that it mattered much. The situation was just as it seemed. She was alone for now and as unbelievable as it might have seemed, Itachi wasn't following her. She directed her dark gaze firmly ahead of her, trying her hardest to take deep able breaths. Maybe this was her break. Her one, single break. She might as well take it for all it was worth. With her attention focused back on the tangled brush ahead of her she willed herself to move faster. Despite the wobble pressing into her knees, she didn't dare stop or slow down. Far away just wasn't far enough at this point. The wavering branches over her head had become but fleeting shadows to even her trained eye now. And as the sleek flow of movements calmed her tight nerves, she took what felt like her first breath in a very long while. Free and without that looming sense of danger that she had finally come accustomed to once more.

Until an impending presence shook her from her fragile state of mind and sent her reeling to a shuddering halt. With her teeth bared and lip curled, she fell into a familiar stance. Her words were barely but a steely hiss on the night air as she spoke. "I'm not going back!" Her eyes bore into the shallow depth of trees ahead of her, listening as the small rustle of a body reached her ears. A shock of white suddenly shot forward in what slowly revealed itself to be a pale hand desperately clutching at the remains of an old tree. Her dusty eyes widened in sudden realization.

"H-Hinamei!" A familiar voice called out in a forced gasp of air.

That's right, she hadn't left alone. Her eyebrows knitted together guiltily and she wrapped her arms around herself. Oops. "Where you just going to leave me back there?" Yukio cried out as quietly as he could, struggling to free his legs from the prying grip of a thorn bush. Hinamei cast her narrowed eyes back at the younger boy and scoffed rudely. Not caring to help him yank free.

"You didn't have to sneak up on me like that, baka." His pale eyes shot a hard gaze back and she looked away awkwardly, "and no, I wasn't just going to leave you back there." For some reason she got the hint that he didn't quite believe her.

"Well you couldn't have gotten out of there any faster," he mentioned chidingly as he finally managed to break free from his catch. "But I suppose I can't really blame you." Despite that excuse always working, she was beginning to hate that sympathy act. Sure things were bad, but she was still alive wasn't she? No thanks to that scheming weasel back there. Hinamei waved a hand innocently in front of her face, feeling her skin crawl under the barren space of trees she realized they had been standing in.

"Whatever, come on. We've still got a long ways to go." Albeit grudgingly, Yukio kept in close to Hinamei's side as she fled off back into the night. She tried hard to ignore his presence, having that sense of uneasiness creeping up her spine made it hard to fully concentrate on the path ahead of her. More than anything, she wanted to be in the village.

Her home.

Shaking the flutter in her stomach she forced her face to be still. They didn't have long; at this pace they'd reach the gates in only a matter of hours. Before the sun came up, they would be in the clear, in a safe place where neither Itachi nor Kisame could reach them. A sudden sense of urgency flooded her body and she stiffened up. "Yukio," she glanced back. His tousled blonde locks shuddered in the wind and he looked up at her with dull eyes. "Let's pick up pace." He gave her a look that said he'd rather do anything but that, but wordlessly he pushed himself to move faster. Hinamei did the same.

To Yukio, it felt as if they had been traveling for days. His neck was fighting to hold his head up any longer and any spiteful or wicked thing he could have said in those long hours where lost without the energy to make them effective. He really didn't see himself pulling through this one. Where Hinamei stored her energy he didn't know, but it was obvious she had plenty as she sped ahead of him. Hardly caring to glance back and make sure he was still following her. It almost felt to him like he was nothing but a burden now. Like everyone knew that Hinamei would have been better off had he not been tagging along like some kind of lost puppy. It sent an uncomfortable gnawing to his stomach. Feeling self conscious, he fell back slightly until Hinamei was hardly a smear to his tired eyes in front of him. Just when he was considering making a run for it towards somewhere else, Hinamei's sweet voice chimed in from in front of him. He looked up hopefully. "Are you doing alright kid? We're almost there, ten minutes at most."

"I'm fine." He replied quietly. Whether or not Hinamei needed him, it didn't matter. He needed her. He couldn't go back to living the way he was, out in fear of his own life. He had already lost all that was important to him once, doing it again would be unbearable. But Hinamei was strong and he knew she wouldn't fall so easily. Which is why he so desperately clung to her, she was his foundation. The only thing keeping him from spiraling downwards into oblivion. One day he would thank her for it. Especially considering the danger he was putting her in, without even uttering a word of it to her. But that was a story for another time as a looming structure infiltrated his vision and he came to a stumbling halt near where Hinamei stood. She cast him a sideways glance and shook her head. Bleary eyes looked up; locking their sights on a looming gate painted what appeared to be green in the silver bath of the moon. He had never been to a main village, and from what he could tell just standing outside of it, the mass of it itself was intimidating. He looked over at Hinamei, knitting his brows together. "How do you expect to get in?" He asked quietly, surely they wouldn't just be able to walk in? Hinamei stared for a long second before what appeared to be a smirk touched at her lips. She jerked her head in the opposite direction and uncrossed her arms.

"I've got an idea, follow me." Like a shadow, she was gone and with an aggravated sigh, Yukio sped off in what he hoped had been the right direction after her.

Hoping it was the right place, she ran her fingertips lightly over the sturdy rock walls. Her eyes lingered upwards and she frowned, it was a steep climb but she should be able to make it easily. Yukio shifted behind her and her mouth tightened even more. He still had only use of one arm, something that would make this far less easy than she had originally thought. "Alright," she sighed, turning from the wall to face Yukio. She lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers at him. "Get on my back."

Yukio quirked a brow in her direction and said in all seriousness, "what?"

"My back," Hinamei replied back turning around as she did so. "Get on it." When Yukio realized she wasn't being at all sarcastic he sighed and figured there was no use in fighting her. After all, there was no way he'd be able to jump that wall with such a gimp arm. Awkwardly, he fumbled forward until his chest was pressed against her back. He tried as hard as he could to ignore the sudden touch of her skin against his as she brushed her fingers back to catch his legs. It took a couple tries but soon he had his good arm wrapped around close to her neck. Another position he tried hard to ignore as his hand nearly grazed a couple spots he would have rather avoided. Hinamei grumbled but nevertheless hiked the boy further up her back. His legs were tight around her waist and she flexed her arms, getting ready to scale the tall tree that was one of many outside the wall surrounding the leaf village.

She had seen countless shinobi pull this same stunt time and time again, how hard could it have been?

With her eyes closed she focused as much chakra as she could into her hands and feet, when her dark eyes snapped open she looked up at the looming tree and nodded to herself reassuringly. "Any time now." Yukio said suddenly, breaking her attention away. She craned her head to the side and glared at nothing in particular.

"Shut it brat, I don't see you climbing the tree!"

"Well, neither are you apparently." Her eyes closed and she ground her teeth together, maybe she should have just left him in the trees. At least she would have escaped his nonstop flow of stupid speech. She hiked him back up suddenly and she smirked as the sharp intake of breath retreated back into his sorry mouth as his injured arm was twisted awkwardly. As she thought, he didn't say anything else. When she looked back at the tree she wasted no time in leaping towards it, pushing her feet off the wood as she jumped from limb to limb until she was just in reach of the top of the stone wall, only a small gap of space lie between her and her target. Her back was aching already and she could feel her tired legs wanting to give in. With her narrowed eyes she wrapped her hands back behind Yukio's knees. Her lip was caught between her teeth and without wanting to spare another thought she sprang forward, until the loose rock wobbled underneath her feet dangerously as she made the jump nearly flawlessly.

Easy as cake.

Unfortunately, she didn't get time to consider how she would rub her victory in Yukio's face for the rock wall beneath her suddenly jolted forward, sending her and Yukio along with it. Her foot flew upwards and Yukio's hand wrapped tighter around her collar in fear. This wasn't going to end well, she thought as her eyes sprang open and for a small second she saw the night sky as clearly as ever. It might have been at a bad time but she couldn't help but think it had been a while since she had appreciated the stars. The sound of Yukio's shouting had brought her out of her stupor and without a second to spare she reached out and wrapped her fingers around a thick branch. Her arm jolted painfully and the force of her catch had Yukio hanging from his single arm around her neck. Holding in the gag, she winced and took a chance, letting go of the branch. Hinamei landed on her feet with a loud thud and as soon as Yukio released her, she took a large gasp of breath, eyes watering. Somewhere behind her Yukio was muttering a small 'sorry.'

"It's f-fine." She said heavily, waving her hand over her shoulder as nonchalantly as she could manage. When she brought her head back up, she blinked back the small wave of tears and stilled. This was the place, definitely. It seemed like so long ago herself, Shisui, and Itachi had been running through these very woods, fearing for their lives. Hinamei straightened up awkwardly and brushed her hair back. "Sorry, I lost my balance. Are you alright?" She asked, turning to face Yukio with a genuine tint of concern at her voice. Yukio bit back a blush and nodded.

"Where are we anyway?" He asked, scanning the area around him.

"Tozuki's hill. My father is buried right through those trees actually." She turned to smile at him, "we're in the leaf village." In other words, infiltration was a success. And there was no sign of Itachi, which made everything she had worried about seem like nothing now. They were safe from those two and as far as she was concerned, she could stay in this village forever.

But the question was, what now?

Hinamei and Yukio were both filthy. The one shower she had managed to get suddenly felt ages ago and her clothes were still smeared with dirt and sweat. And that was sure to attract attention out on the streets, vagrants didn't occupy this village. And they had no money for a hotel, so another shower was out of the question. Plus, they would need to lay low for a while. In a village this size that was going to be a challenge, unless… "Dammit." Hinamei said quietly, placing her hand to her forehead. "I guess it's worth a try."

"What is?" Yukio asked. The girl looked up suddenly, as if she had momentarily forgotten Yukio was there. She shook her head and turned.

"Stay quiet and follow me, I've got an idea." She turned away just in time to miss Yukio's scowl. He was tired of running and it didn't help that Hinamei was back in her vague and mysterious mode. He was beginning to wonder if all Uchiha's were this self absorbed and unstable. But he didn't get a chance to wonder it any further for when he looked up; Hinamei was already forcing herself through the cluster of trees. Well and prepared to leave him behind _again. _With a struggled sigh, he followed her. Hoping that after she slept some, she'd be in a better mood.

"You're kidding me." Yukio said plainly once they had stopped walking. His large upturned eyes were scaling the length of the gate in front of him, an uneasy frown playing on his lips. Hinamei stood next to him looking just as uncomfortable. "I mean, ew…"

"I know," Hinamei said quietly, turning to look at Yukio almost desperately. "But this is going to be our only option until we can get some money." Her black eyes turned back towards the gate and she wrapped her arms around her thin frame. "I don't like it either." Everything looked the same, a little aged here and there but that was expected. The Uchiha compound still stood tall and sturdy. It was a wonder no one had torn it down after what had happened. She nodded her head at Yukio and he took a deep breath.

"Can we at least stay in a house that no one died in?" At that point he didn't care if he sounded more than rude, this was _creepy._ And he was sure that even Hinamei could agree this place had an awful air to it.

"We'll stay at my old house." Her hand slipped around Yukio's and she squeezed gently. This must have been harder for her than he had originally thought. "It was just me there." He had to refrain from asking what had happened to her parents, though curious, he figured that was a question better posed another time. As quietly as she could, she unlatched the gate and pushed it open. It creaked a bit but they slipped in and closed it before it could attract much more attention. Natural order had kept the plants alive, this time of year a few trees lingered but there were no attractive blooms to decorate them. Her eyes ran over every structure, yard, and plant, trying desperately to not attach a memory to anything. This was already painful enough as it was. Dirt spiraled around their feet as they picked up their pace. Yukio found himself glancing over his shoulder at every ten second interval, paranoid and feeling insecure as the darkness seemed to creep around them. If it weren't for Hinamei's comforting hand, he would have been running.

As for Hinamei, her jaw was aching from how hard she had been pressing her teeth together. Everything was a reminder. A lost memory now surfaced, reeling images of days so long ago that at one time seemed untouchable. She added another line to the list of things she hated Itachi for.

When they passed by the old training grounds Hinamei kept her head forward, refusing to look at it. As they walked by Itachi's old house, she cringed and pushed to the farthest side of the road. And when they stood in front of Hinamei's old house, she could feel her stomach twisting in ways she hadn't felt since she had heard word of Shisui's death. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. She would have rather sought shelter at the Hyuuga compound than this. "It's alright." Her head snapped towards Yukio, taking in his warm smile. Reassuringly, he squeezed his fingers tighter around hers. It was a small movement that sent a sweet smile to her mouth.

"Thank you," she said quietly. So quietly she doubted he ever heard her say it. With as much courage as she could muster, she took the first step up into the house with Yukio right by her side.

She can't say she expected much different. The whole inside was layered in dust, but everything she had left remained untouched. Books, dishes, clothes, all of these things were sealed within filth. Abandoned for five years. It sent a pang of pity through her chest as she let Yukio's hand fall back to his side. She took careful steps through the house, running her fingers over the counters and grime gently. She tried the faucet; a small stream of stagnant water ran through it. But at least a shower wasn't so unbelievable now. "Would you like me to run you a bath?" She said, turning towards Yukio briskly. She didn't wait for an answer instead turned towards the bathroom. She needed a few moments to herself, and it wasn't outrageous to say they both needed a bath.

She quickly rinsed out the bath, filling it up with hot water and making sure the soap she still had was within easy reach. When she was finished she called out Yukio's name and waited for him to wobble sleepily over to her. "Thanks, are you going to be alright?" He asked from the doorway. She shrugged and turned away.

"I'm going to prepare the bed, take your time." And she left him there, without saying another word. While Yukio bathed she found spare sheets and pillowcases stowed away in a drawer and she dressed the bed with an impassive face, her fingers meticulously doing all the work while her mind flitted away to a less traumatic place. To imagine Itachi and herself were the only two remaining Uchiha's left in the entire world was something more unsettling than anyone could ever imagine. Tears absently ran from her face onto the fresh sheets she had been hovering over for a while now and as she was rushed back to real time, she stood up and hastily wiped at her face.

This wasn't the time to be showing weakness.

To keep herself occupied she dug through her closets until she found a pair of pants and an oversized shirt, she carried them over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "I have some clean clothes for you."

"Come in," Yukio said from the other side of the door. Hinamei slid the door open and couldn't help but smirk at his appearance. Yukio was standing there with a towel wrapped around his waist, his pale hair sticking up in all different directions. She hadn't realized he was so pale, under all that dirt he had actually looked like he had some color to his skin. He held his hand out and she hastily pushed the clothes into his grip.

"The bed is made, I'm going to take a bath and then I'll join you." He nodded, looking as if he wanted to say something more but instead he left the room quietly. Leaving Hinamei in the steam filled room. With a sigh she wandered over to the other side of the bathroom and opened the small window. Watching as the steam slid out into the night air, it was late and it would soon be morning if she didn't hurry. Warily, she filled the bath up and wasted no time in sliding out of her dirty clothes. When the hot water hit her skin she let out a loud sigh of relief and sunk down into its depths until only to top of her head was above the water line. She pushed back up and smiled to herself as the day's grime was washed off of her body. She hurriedly washed her hair and finished cleaning until her skin was pink and raw from the scrubbing she had done. After closing the window she reverted back into the room and slipped into the dress she had put aside earlier. Yukio was sleeping, his hurt arm cradled close in his sling. He looked years younger when he wasn't scowling and pouting. She brought her tired eyes to the window; the sky was already growing lighter. But none of that mattered now. She was safe here, probably more safe in the leaf village than anywhere else. With a wide yawn Hinamei slunk into bed, rolling up close to nuzzle into Yukio's shoulder. He smelled like lilies. A small smiled edged at the corner of her mouth and she fell into a void of familiar nothingness.

* * *

As tired as she was, Hinamei didn't sleep well. Maybe two hours into her slumber she woke with a small start, blinking at the early morning light. Her arm was lazily tossed over Yukio's stomach and she slowly withdrew it so as to not wake him. Breezing by the bed, she cast one more solid glance at Yukio before leaving the room and closing the door. The floors were cold and she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to seal in as much warmth as she could.

It was impossible; she couldn't stay in this house any longer.

Swearing she would be back before Yukio woke to find himself alone; she tugged on a jacket and slipped out of the house. It wasn't until she stood in the middle of the road did she finally let out a sigh of relief. With her hands shoved deep into her pockets, she lowered her head and began walking away from her house. Her mind wandered away and she couldn't help but think what her life would have been like had Itachi not ruined it. By now she would have been married, a housewife while Itachi went out and worked to support them and their future children. Every Thursday Shisui would come over and have dinner with all of them and things would be happy and good.

And nobody would be dead.

Her fists tightened around the thin fabric in her pocket and she sighed. That was all but a far away dream now. She would probably never wed, and damned if she would ever have kids. And neither Itachi nor Shisui would play a part in any sort of future she might have. And since she was already knee deep in despair, she would probably end up dying alone too. Great.

Hinamei rolled her eyes at her overgrown angst and brought her head back up, tendrils over chocolate colored hair sliding over her shoulders in soft waves. The cold early morning air stung at her wet lips and in the silent morning, her angry heavy footsteps were all she heard until a distant bang reached her ears. Hinamei stopped short, her eyebrows knitted together with a tight frown weighing in on her mouth. A distant flare of what seemed like familiar chakra flared up and instantly her muscles were taught and uneasy.

Itachi. That was the only one it could be. He was trying to hide his chakra from her, but he wasn't doing a well enough job. She could sense that dark aura from miles away. "You've got to be kidding me!" She hissed under her breath. From her waist band she pulled a dull kunai, one she had grabbed out of habit before she left the house. Not that she could do much damage with it against Itachi but at least it showed she was trying. The second thing that flitted through her mind was Yukio. He was still sleeping and was more than vulnerable. Hinamei closed her eyes, searching the area for that second great chakra she knew belonged to Kisame. Nothing. It was missing. If Itachi came here on his own then that gave her one more advantage. She could go up to him alone and convince him to leave Yukio. At least one of them might be able to go free. That familiar dark chakra shifted and Hinamei snapped her head forward. It was near the Uchiha temple. Feeling braver than usual, Hinamei darted off towards the chakra with her kunai tight between her fingers.

The buildings were but pale blurs to her eyes as she sped off through them like an animal on the prowl. Her footsteps breezing against the dirt road her gaze was set firmly ahead. She was really getting sick of Itachi getting in the way of everything. Dare she say he was almost worse now than he used to be. And that was really saying something considering what a jerk he _used_ to be. The flare of chakra got more and more obvious as she creeped towards it and for a slight second she began doubting herself. There was something different about it. Itachi's chakra was dark and menacing but steely and cold at the same time. This was almost…erratic. It felt confused and angry, no, this wasn't Itachi's chakra at all. Now that she was close enough to feel it for what it was this was something entirely new. But she still couldn't shake that familiar feeling she got from it. "What…?" Hinamei whispered to herself as she was pressed against the wall. The person who owned the chakra was moving inside the temple now, alone from the way it felt. Her dark eyes diligently swept the area, heart beating furiously against her ribcage.

But nothing could have prepared her for the flow of events that was about to happen.

The temple doors opened slowly and Hinamei watched curiously as a booted foot stepped out, along with the rest of a body and a face that was so eerily familiar she nearly forgot to breathe. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the young boys face, his dark angry eyes, his familiar scowl, his shock of inky black hair that framed his pale and sallow face. Then, it hit her like a two ton rock.

That boy was Sasuke.

Hinamei reeled backwards, pressing her body up against the wall so he wouldn't see her as he stalked back towards the gate to the compound.

No, no, no. That couldn't be Sasuke. He was supposed to be dead, Itachi had killed him hadn't he? None of this was making sense. Before panic could set in, Hinamei tore off back towards her house, that dull kunai dropped and lost under the loose dirt of the road.

Hinamei had already been lingering on the edge of her sanity and this, this was just the thing she needed to push her straight over the edge into full blown madness.


	13. The First Mistake

**A/N:** I had half of this chapter written for so long and then I hit a really bad block. But now it's finished and I also have half of the next chapter finished (in which covers Yukio's past, in case anyone cared) so it shouldn't be more than a week. Also, to whore myself out a bit, anyone interested should go read by Byakuya story too :) it needs some love. Now some bad news. This story...is almost done. After this there shouldn't be more four chapters left. Including the epilogue ;_; so enjoy as much as you can because another Itachi story won't be out for quite a long time. Boo.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen:

"The First Mistake."

* * *

Hinamei rarely swore. There were exceptions, like on special occasions when she's nearly 98% sure the world is coming to an end or when she walks into doorways in public places. But on this occasion, she was swearing because she had come to find out Itachi wasn't as much of a monster as she had originally thought. Yes, he had killed everyone else, but seeing Sasuke in the flesh was nearly proof that Itachi wasn't completely heartless. Nearly, but not fully. Which led her to think that maybe, just maybe, Yukio had made a mistake.

Itachi had promised that she wouldn't get hurt, and for a short while she had believed him. It wasn't until Yukio had used his gift to uncover Itachi was really leading her in for the kill. But maybe that's what he had sworn to protect her from? Of course Itachi knew Hinamei well enough to know that if he had told her she was going to die within the next month, she was sure to cause a scene and probably embarrass them both. And how right he was, for Hinamei stood in the old Uchiha compound with her hands to her temples and her eyes snapped shut, knees brushing against her chin as she crouched on the ground. Nearly helpless to the feeling that she had made one of many great mistakes. And only now had she really given Itachi a reason to kill her, both of them actually. They were both going to die because like always, Hinamei jumped the gun.

"Fuck. Fuck. What have I done? He's going to have me killed. No, he's going to kill me himself. Oh, fuck." Her breathing hitched as she murmured under her breath. With her hands weaved in between long locks of hair, she tugged helplessly, trying to get herself back under control. It wasn't working. "Do I stay here? No, he's going to find me!" She wailed lowly. Her eyes opened slightly and she groaned, "and if Sasuke sees me, he's bound to recognize me and then what?" Shaking, she bent herself farther over and wrapped her arms over her head so that all she saw was the dark space between her knees. "Maybe I should go find Itachi and say sorry." Blinking in the dark confines of her arms, her lip pulled into a pout. "Like that's going to work, even when he did like me an apology never fixed anything." Feeling frantic, she suddenly felt ten years old again. But this time, no one was there to say Itachi would get over it and eventually forgive her.

Which knowing him, he probably never would regardless.

Now that she had come to the conclusion that she was between a rock and a hard place, she was able to calm down. At least knowing that there was no way out was more comforting than having no idea what you're going to do. Now her only option was to give up and cry a little more, which she gladly did. It took ten minutes for her to remind herself that like it or not she was an adult now and adults faced their problems head on. So she wobbled upwards and sadly moped back to her house where she debated waking up Yukio to tell him that he better prepare himself to die, because sooner or later it was going to happen. But she just couldn't do it and instead she wandered around the house cleaning various objects so that her mind didn't flip back into insanity once more. By the time Yukio roused, Hinamei had the entire kitchen and sitting room clean. Her elbows and arms caked in dust and grime. "Why are you up so early?" Yukio asked sourly as he entered the room like Hinamei had disturbed him in one way or another. For once though she ignored his chiding tones and turned towards him with a sympathetic frown on her lips.

"Did I wake you up?" She asked gently. Immediately Yukio came to a halt and raised an eyebrow curiously. Hinamei _never_ spoke to him like that and he felt he had a right to be worried.

"…No," he said just as softly. "Did something happen?" She shook her head but her eyes told a whole different story. As she turned back around to resume scrubbing Yukio crept in closer until he was looming over her shoulder. "You're lying." Hinamei answered him with a sigh and she shifted her knees so that she could look the boy in his face.

"Really, nothing happened." Even though she had never been a good liar, she thought that it sounded pretty convincing. Although the look that crossed his face told her otherwise. "What? I can't clean my own damn house? Have you seen it, it's covered in dust!" She glared and fisted her hands, Yukio flinched away nervously.

"But I never said-" Yukio started to say until Hinamei shot him a look that could kill. The fuming girl quickly whipped around, mumbling insults under her breath as she went back to scrubbing the floor. As Yukio stood behind her, his mouth hanging open speechlessly, he quickly shut it and replaced it with a dangerous scowl. He liked her much better when she was being absurdly nice. But what bothered him more is where her sudden mood swing had come from, last time she had been so angry they were being toted away by two blood hungry _assholes._ It was hard to imagine things could get much worse, he was almost afraid to find out. But being himself there were some things he refused to let go, and if that meant bending his own rules every now and then, so be it. He put his fingers to his mouth and slipped the thin glove from his hand by his teeth. With the glove hanging from his mouth he tenderly reached out and touched the edge of her jacket as she hastily scrubbed the floor raw. A sudden flash of images flooded his mind, the entirety of the morning played back like a movie reel. His fingers lifted off her jacket and hastily, he shoved his hand back into his glove. And suddenly, he found himself in an even fouler mood.

With his mouth pinched firmly shut Yukio wound his hand up and stepped out of the kitchen as discretely as he could, unable to register the slew of bad news that had just hit him like a weight.

In his lifetime he had experienced plenty of unfortunate happenings and for while he had thought that things had already gotten as bad as they could get, but no. Life just hadn't had enough apparently for lo and behold, another Uchiha walked the earth. Damn everything. Yukio sat down on the now clean couch and put his head hopelessly in his still usable hand, his bottom lip trapped between his clenched teeth.

But having another Uchiha around wasn't even the worst part. Firstly, he looked like a mirror image of Itachi. But that probably went without saying because even to an extent Hinamei looked like Itachi. Just prettier and a lot more feminine. Secondly, he looked just as self absorbed and cranky as the other two. It figured, he had been right all along. But the worst of it was how it seemed to affect Hinamei. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were wide and already once it seemed she had broken down. She looked frightened and even more so, she was a ticking time bomb. And her detonation was something he _really _didn't want to see.

For now though, his best chance of survival was to just act like everything was normal. With an aggravated sigh he straightened up and slowly clambered to his feet. As quietly as he could he sauntered over to the kitchen.

"Sorry, there's nothing to eat here." Hinamei said as Yukio walked past her without a word and headed for the cabinets. He stopped short in his tracks and turned to watch Hinamei shrug her shoulders innocently.

"Then we need to get some."

"I don't have any money!" Hinamei snapped, eyes fierce and holding on strong to Yukio's still impassive face. "So now what?" Yukio sighed, so acting normal wasn't going to fix _anything_.

"Alright, you need to calm down-"

"Oh, what do you know?"

"I know one stupid boy isn't something to completely lose your mind for, haven't you figured that out yet?" And then, in that moment, Yukio realized the extent of his mistake. Hinamei opened her mouth to speak but suddenly stopped, her eyebrows knitting together as she gathered her thoughts.

"What did you say?" She whispered, leaning in closer from her spot on the floor. Yukio took a well thought out step back.

"N-nothing..."

"Did you touch me?" Hinamei rose to her knees and then to her feet, eyes never straying from Yukio's rapidly paling face. "You did, didn't you? That wasn't for you to see!" With her fists balled up, at first he thought she was going to strike him, but when she bit back a shriek and stormed off, he realized he had gotten off lucky. Yukio took a much needed breath when his area had been vacated and he slowly leaned up against the counter. Why should he have cared anyways? It wasn't as if she was open with him, ever. And as far as that was concerned, it really was his business considering the circumstances. But still, she was all he had and if he didn't play the game nicely, he would lose that too.

"Hinamei," he called out grudgingly, "I'm sorry alright!" He was answered with a long block of silence. With a sigh, he stood back up and went towards the back of the house where she had stormed off to. He lightly rapped on her bedroom door and leaned in, "Did you hear me?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked in and looked at the pathetic pile Hinamei had transformed into. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"You made a mistake." Hinamei said quietly, eyes boring into the wall.

"I did what?" Yukio asked breathlessly.

"You made a mistake, about Itachi. He's not evil like you made him out to be...and Sasuke..." She turned her head into the crook of her elbows and sighed. "He never killed Sasuke, Itachi told me he wouldn't let me get hurt. I believe him, I really do."

"You're blaming everything on me?" Hinamei stayed silent for a long while until she finally rolled over onto her back, eyes focused intently on the ceiling. She took a long breath and turned her dark, bruised eyes to Yukio's disbelieving face. And then, she broke into a small smile.

"Not at all. I blame myself." It was sad almost, the way he could see how much she hated herself in the moment with just one look. Feeling more guilty than usual, Yukio rigidly stepped forward and gently slid onto the bed so that he sat above her head. Gently, he placed his fingers in her wavy hair and brushed it back softly. Hinamei closed her eyes at this touch. At first he thought she was finally relaxing until he saw the shine of a single tear slip out from under her closed lids. Gently, he withdrew his hand.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." He placed his hand back in his lap and leaned against the pillow behind him, trying to figure out the best way of dealing with the situation. "It really is mostly my fault, I did jump to assume." He glanced over at her and frowned. "But you have to realize, no one promised my safety. Face it," he sighed. "I'm expendable. You on the other hand, aren't apparently."

"I wouldn't let them hurt you. I love you Yukio, you saved me remember?" His eyes widened slightly, staring off ahead of him. Those words, those deep, penetrating words that he hadn't heard come from anyone in what felt like ages. When he didn't respond, Hinamei only rolled over and nuzzled into his leg. His heart rate slid down a couple notches and slowly he let his eyes fall onto her face. It was like he was seeing her for the first time, a completely different person lying in his lap. He looked away from her so she couldn't see the small smile spreading across his face.

"Yeah, I love you too Hinamei."

Rather than ruining the moment that had befallen them, Yukio was still, trying not to move so he wouldn't wake Hinamei who had fallen into a light lull. Unfortunately, the minute Hinamei's breathing settled, his stomach growled at a rather deafening volume. Hinamei's eyes snapped open and flickered up to Yukio. The boy grinned back cheekily and took that chance to slid out from under her. "Don't look at me like that, you're hungry too I know it."

"Yeah, well my stomach isn't screaming." She replied back halfway through a yawn. When she finished she sat up lazily and rustled her hair. "What do we do though, I have no money." Yukio didn't even have to think of an answer for that. He had gone long enough on his own to know how to get some food in your stomach when you don't have the means to pay for it.

"No problem, I've know just the way." Hinamei quirked her head in his direction and he had to turn away to stop himself from giving his lies away the instant he spoke them. "Most places offer labor as a payment. "We tell them we have no money, they give us a job to do like dishes or something and we can eat. I do it all the time." He said simply. When he looked back at her, he knew she had taken the bait the way she was staring longingly at her empty stomach.

"Okay, if you say so." She pouted and glared up at him. "But you're washing my dishes for me."

"Fine by me. Now hurry up and get dressed, I'm starving."

By the time they had made it out onto the streets of Konoha, Hinamei had gotten so dressed up she almost didn't look recognizable. "That's the point!" She snapped when Yukio made a snide comment about it. His hand was shoved deep into his pocket as he slowly took in the vast village. There were so many more people here than there were any other place he had ever been. And all of them seemed so happy. It was almost nauseating.

"What about over there?" Hinamei pointed suddenly in front of Yukio's face. Startled, he glanced over in the direction and instantly his mouth watered. The smell wafted in around him and all he could do was double over pathetically.

"Alright, looks fine." They walked into the shop, delighted to find that the place was hardly inhabited. The quikly took their seats and when the clerk came over, both of them ordered a large abundance of food. Hinamei greedily ate, hardly caring that she was supposed to be a lady in a public place. She hadn't realized how much she missed real food until just then.

"Are you sure they are going to let us clean for payment?" She asked through a mouthful of food. Yukio shrugged and grinned.

"I hope so." Slowly, Hinamei lowered her utensils and shot Yukio a disapproving look. Finally, Yukio dropped his utensils to and leaned over the table to glare. "We needed to eat, look, finish and we'll make a run for it. We have to leave the village anyway don't we? We have no money and if people start to recognize you, we're in even deeper trouble than before. It's alright," he sighed. "I do this all the time."

"Well I don't!" She squeaked back in response. Glancing down at her food sadly, she suddenly felt more guilty than ravenous. And the feeling only grew when the clerk came striding back over to the table with a bill in hand. "Oh no..." Hinamei groaned and she put her hand to her forehead. This was bound to be a disaster. The clerk stopped in front of her and bent down so that they were on eye level.

"Pardon me, ma'am." Hinamei looked over with a tight smile on her face. "That gentleman over there graciously paid your bill for you." Yukio's eyes widened and immediately both their heads snapped over to where the clerk had been pointing. The man was tall, sitting at a table by himself with a book in his lap. As if he could feel their eyes on his back, he turned to look at Hinamei and Yukio. She stilled immediately. There was something so familiar about him. His hair was grey, struck up in a questionable style. The majority of his face was covered by a thin blue mask and from the slanted headband on his forehead, it was obvious he was a shinobi. But what struck her nerves more wasn't his unsettling familiarity, but the all knowing look he shot her.

"Do you know him?" Yukio hissed across the table, his hand flickering over her arm. Uneasily, Hinamei pulled her eyes away from the man and focused back on the pale blonde boy across from her.

"I-I don't know."

"Kakashi Sensei! You said you'd meet us at the bridge an hour ago! What's your excuse this time? Huh, come on, give me the best you've got!" Both Hinamei and Yukio looked back over at the sudden intrusion. Three people were now crowded over the shinobi that had paid for their meal. The one speaking was a short, blonde kid that seemed to lack an inside voice. The second was a young girl, with vibrant pink hair. She shot out a vicious fist towards the first boy's shoulder. And it wasn't until he had doubled over in pain did Hinamei catch sight of the third person.

He stood against the wall coolly, watching the scene in front of him with cold, impatient eyes. His arms were crossed and he wore a frown that was so strikingly familiar to Itachi's it was almost frightening. "I was waiting for an old acquaintance so show up, but they never did." Before the blonde boy could say anything, Kakashi turned towards the boy against the wall and nodded. "Sasuke-kun, why don't you take these two outside and wait for me. I'll just be a minute."

"Hinamei! We need to leave now!" Yukio cried out quietly. Hinamei tore her eyes away from the small Uchiha boy and looked up at Yukio fearfully. She nodded and stood up, keeping her head down as she did. Her hand made to slip into Yukio's but a voice stopped both of them in their tracks.

"Not so fast you two." Yukio stilled and slowly looked over his shoulder at the looming man that stood behind them. But his eyes weren't focused on him, instead, his single brown eye was intently staring at Hinamei. She raised her head slowly, her eyes wide like a deer. That shrouded mystery around him, the easy, lazy slouch he wore, it was so familiar...

And then it hit her. She had only met him once before, but how could she forget that day...

* * *

_"You'll be just fine, hold still now." Hinamei looked up into the single eye of the man who kneeled in front of her, a bandage gingerly stretched between his fingers. She tensed up and waited to relax until he had stuck the bandage firmly over the small cut on her temple. "There, in a couple days you'll be fully healed."_

_"Thanks, I guess..." Hinamei said quietly, looking at the floor._

_"Something wrong?" Kakashi replied softly, slinking slightly closer. The small girl looked up and furrowed her brow, an unwilling pout tracing around her full lips._

_"Ita-chan...Shisui, they got hurt really bad and I couldn't do anything." Her eyes flickered to her hands, scraped and red. "It's my fault they got hurt in the first place, I shouldn't have gone into the forest." From under his mask, Kakashi sighed and rocked back on his heels. He stood tall and crossed his arms._

_"You say that now, but trust me, they won't blame you."_

_"How do you know?" She bit back hastily. Sure this man had saved them but he was awfully all knowing, like Itachi. It wasn't a good trait in a man his age._

_"Well, in some ways, you saved them. Especially Itachi-kun. He found a certain..." he hesitated for the words and then smiled. "strength he hadn't found before, because he needed to save his friends. He'll thank you in the end." Though it was nice to hear, she highly doubted Itachi would ever thank her for almost getting them killed. This man obviously didn't know Itachi well enough. "You don't believe me." Kakashi shook his head and patted the small girl on the head. "Wait here, I'll go see if the boys are awake yet. And then you can see for yourself that they still care for you just as much as before." Hinamei watched on with little faith as Kakashi stepped away from her and made his way down the hall towards Itachi's and Shisui's room._

_Maybe she should have said thank you, after all, she'd hate to start sounding like Itachi._

* * *

"Kakashi..." Hinamei whispered, her eyes flickering up to study his face more intently. The man looked slightly taken aback but not as confused as Yukio seemed to be.

"As I thought." Kakashi finally said, crossing his arms. "Glad to see you remember me."

"But how-" Hinamei bit her lip and nervously folded her hands in front of her. "How did you recognize me, it's been so long..."

"You look a lot like Sasuke, it's hard not to notice you honestly." When she tensed up Kakashi immediately shook his head. "But don't worry, there are hardly any people out here more observant than myself. I'm assuming you're not supposed to be here?" She looked away sheepishly.

"Well, no. We're kind of...traveling. I couldn't resist stopping by."

"That's dangerous you know." The man shook his head and it was hard to tell, but under his mask she thought she could see the faintest outline of a smile. "Quite amusing too. I was surprised to hear Itachi had spared Sasuke, but you, well, I always knew he had a soft spot for you. I just didn't think he had turned this soft." His tone struck her the wrong way, and she slunk back nervously.

"I wouldn't use that name lightly, he's far from soft. And keep lowering your guard like you are and you might just get yourself killed."

"I see you've gotten a little tougher yourself." Their conversation was interrupted by a slender hand slipping through the cloth in the doorway. "Kakashi Sensei, hurry up will you? Those idiots are starting to get on my nerves." Hinamei looked over without thinking, her eyes meeting the dark pools of the boy who no longer resembled that smiling cherub that she once had known. His eyes lingered on hers for a second, and just when she thought her heart was going to stop, he looked away. Suddenly with no more interest lingering behind them. "I'm not a babysitter."

"Oh course Sasuke-kun. I'm coming." Kakashi turned back towards the awe-struck two and bowed lazily. "I hope you enjoy what the village has to offer, but don't stick around too long, there's much more to see further into the land of fire." His hint didn't go unnoticed and Hinamei bowed back with more fervor than she had intended. And then it was just her and Yukio.

"Can we leave now?" Yukio asked from behind her, his mind still reeling from the confusing and seemingly dangerous meeting they had just had, though it ended rather abruptly, he couldn't shake the feeling that the worst had yet to come.

"Yeah," Hinamei said softly, eyes still following the empty place where Sasuke had been standing in just moments before. "We can go now. And tomorrow, we're leaving this village for good. These people, they aren't on our side anymore." She brushed a hand in her tangled coffee colored tresses and sighed, motioning forward with her other hand. Yukio led the way in front of her but she quickly fell into stride with him. "You know, I'm starting to think no one is anymore actually." Yukio and her made eye contact and briefly she smiled, though it seemed forced it was still more comforting than she could ever know. "Looks like it's just going to be me and you for a while kid."

Not that he minded anymore though.


	14. The Curse of the Zuishi Clan

**A/N:** I'm very pleased with this chapter. It was so easy to write, I've been dying to give Yukio his time, he deserved it :3 Also, I can't believe I'm at 99 reviews! One more and I'm at a hundred. I know that's not a huge amount but for me it's monumental :D Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and who keeps coming back to read these silly things. It means more to me than one little author's note can convey. Okay okay, so before I start getting all sappy and revolting, here is the next installment.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen:

"The Curse of the Zuishi Clan."

* * *

It would be a long time til Hinamei would be able to enjoy a hot bath again. Which was going to be her excuse when Yukio would angrily demand why she took two hours in the bath when it was supposed to be his turn. Lazily, she rubbed at her eyes, clearing the water that had blurred her vision momentarily. When she blinked and looked around, she felt a sad sort of longing coiling in her gut. She would miss this place, and for the first time she felt it hadn't been a complete waste coming back to the village. Even if it had been a short one full of unnecessary realizations and misplaced warnings. At least, she thought with a deep breath, she had gotten a well deserved bath and a hot meal.

"You're not the only one who likes to get clean Hinamei!" The sole devil spoke loudly through the door. Hinamei rolled her eyes and blew out a stream of bubbles underneath the water. She sat up fully and wrung out her hair.

"Yeah, fine. I'm getting out. Then you can have it all to yourself." Yukio's footsteps faded away and Hinamei grudgingly moved from the bath and quickly wrapped a towel around her body. Sliding open the bathroom door, she peeked out and upon realizing Yukio wasn't in the hallway, ran into the room and shut the door behind her.

"You're getting the floor all wet." The girl whipped around, hand groping to make sure her towel didn't go flying off in the process, she narrowed her eyes at the boy that was lounging across the bed. He had one blue eye open and the other closed, a smirk playing on his lips. If she hadn't been mistaken he was definitely taking in an eyeful.

"Get out you pervert." She said wryly, turning back to stalk towards her closet. "If you don't get in the bath, I will. _Again._"

"Fine," Yukio waved a hand and brought himself upwards. "I'm going. But have some clothes on next time I see you, alright?" Hinamei mumbled a threat under her breath and waited for the door to close before hastily discarding her towel. She went through the racks of old clothes until she finally settled on a simple dress that at one time reached her knees, it now swayed in close to the middle of her thigh but she'd seen worse so she hardly thought twice about it. During the duration of the time without Yukio, Hinamei braided her hair and made a pot of tea. By the time Yukio walked in, hair damp and freshly clothed, she had two cups of tea on the table.

"Wanna sit?" She asked, looking up from the spirals in her cup. Wordlessly, he joined her, wrapping a hand around the smooth defined sides of his cup. They sat in an awkward silence for a short while, waiting for their tea to cool, until Hinamei decided she couldn't take it anymore. Though it did give her the perfect excuse to bring up something she had always forgotten to ask about. "Can I ask you something?" She asked curiously.

"Hm?" Yukio mumbled, testing his tea to his lips. He winced and slid the cup back to the table, feeling jilted.

"You're pretty young to be away from home without a reason. Will you tell me why you're on the run?"

"I'm not on the run!" He snapped back defensively. Hinamei shot him a look and sourly, he withdrew himself. "And no, I won't tell you."

"Oh come on," Hinamei whined. "You know practically everything about me, not all of us can have mind reading powers you know."

"Stop talking about like it's a good thing." Hinamei blinked and tightened her mouth. Yukio's voice had gone from sharp to suddenly timid, his attention was focused intently on his tea while he gingerly dipped a fingertip in. "It's far from it." Feeling like she had gotten somewhere, Hinamei leaned forward and urged him on.

"Why do you say that?"

"Must you know?" Yukio sighed, finally looking up at her impatiently. "I guess it's only fair I tell you, after all, I have learned a lot about you without your permission." Before she got a chance to question his statement, he began, placing his hand under his chin and staring off behind Hinamei almost dreamily. Until he spoke, and she knew whatever he had to say would by no means be easy to retrace. "I guess I'll start from the beginning..."

* * *

Everyone said he looked like his mother. A lovely woman with a soft voice and an even softer touch. She liked to sew, everyday while his father went to tend to the village, she sat on her chair and sewed. For as long as he could remember he wore clothes that she had made by hand, and even as he had gotten older, he found their charm never really left.

And so was life in his village. Like the rest of the children, Yukio thought life could never get better. Until he reached the age where he realized everything changes, even those things you felt could never change. It all started on a late summer evening. The air was warm and humid, bugs swarmed the air outside if you weren't careful enough and a quiet fell over the town only a village as small as theirs could appreciate. Which was why when the banging started, he woke up instantly out of his sleep. "Open this door now! Bitch, I know you're in there!" Someone angrily yelled from the front of the house. Yukio, fourteen at the time, rubbed at his eyes and slid out of bed. But a hand over his mouth stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't make a sound darling." His mother's soft voice touched at his ear. "Something bad has happened." With her hand still tightly over his mouth, she moved him towards the closet. From the kitchen, the door splintered open and heavy footfalls came barreling in. "Promise me, you won't make a sound." Yukio nodded and she kissed him lightly on the forehead. As soon as she released him, she lightly pushed him into the closet and slid shut the door. It bounced as it hit the wood, leaving a fraction of a sliver open. But neither him nor his mother had time to react as his own door was slammed open and two men, both he realized were shinobi of the village, staggered in looking nothing short of livid. Yukio clapped a hand to his mouth as he almost screamed out for his mother. The look on her face under the moonlight was nothing short of bloodless. Her eyes were wide and those slender hands that had made so many things, shook with fear. He had never heard such a cry come out of her mouth as she released when the first one grabbed her.

It took all he had not to fling himself through the doors, but even he knew, there wasn't anything he could do to stop them. "You people, do you realize what danger you've put everyone in?" One angrily hissed out, bringing his mother in closer to his face. She shuddered under his grip and shook her head. "Your husband, it was all his fault! How long have you been hiding your Kekkei Genkei?"

"Please, we never meant to hurt anyone!" She cried out, her hands flat against the man's chest. Yukio watched with wide eyes as she struggled, and when the man picked her up and threw her against the wall like a ragdoll, he could no longer hide. He pushed open the closet door with a yell and threw himself out. His fingers digging into the first thing he could grab. But these men were shinobi for a reason, and before he could even get a strike in, the second man reached around and delivered a deafening blow to his head.

He wanted to save her, he really did. But then, everything went dark and he knew there was no hope for either of them.

"Yukio? Yuki, please, wake up darling." Though it hurt to do so, the call of his mothers voice brought him out of his darkness. He blinked wearily at the dim light, and as his vision cleared, he looked around only to find they were in a cell. Around them were others, some crying, some sleeping. Some were bleeding, almost fatally so. But he recognized all of them. All these prisoners, they were of his clan. The Zuishi clan.

"What's happened?" He questioned weakly. He looked back over into his mother's blue eyes and she forced a small smile, running a tender hand over his thin, wispy hair.

"I have a lot to tell you, and I must ask for your forgiveness. I never thought such a thing would happen."

He came to find out that for generations the Zuishi clan had kept secret of their Kekkei Genkei, a power that he didn't know existed until now. The power to retrieve memories off of objects, a very dangerous tool in the hands of the wrong person. And they all knew this, which is why they kept it hidden so as to not upset the powers and lose any kind of freedom they once had. Which was exactly what his father had ruined.

His father was a well known shinobi, it was his job to disappear for days on end without notice. His mother never question it so neither did Yukio. Which was why when his father never came home two days ago, neither thought twice. Little had they know, his father had gotten caught on an espionage mission by the enemy, and like a coward would, sank under pressure and relayed information about the village private to only the leader of the smoke village in exchange for his freedom. When a small attack was made on the outer village, it didn't take long for word to spread of his father's betrayal. And just how the information came to be uncovered. He had sold out the entire clan, and for nothing. After his confession to the village leader, they slit his throat and bled him out. And then the rest of the shinobi came for the them.

It was obvious they couldn't be trusted. No one knew how much the clan knew, what secrets they had uncovered just by touching things. It was unheard of and instead of slaughtering them all, the only thing to do was imprison them and make sure no one could betray them again.

For months they sat in their cells. Sometimes a few of them would leave, but after a while, he'd stop expecting them to come back. His mother grew more and more sick as the days wore on and even he knew she didn't have long. "I've done it!" A voice hissed from his left. Both him and his mother looked over at the small circle that had been sitting there quietly most of the time. "I've mastered the jutsu."

"What jutsu?" Yukio chimed in curiously. The man's eyes looked over at Yukio's and smiled. Unlike most people, no one blamed Yukio nor his mother for his father's betrayal.

"My transportation jutsu. I've mastered it, we're going to get help."

"Who is?" Yukio leaned forward on his hands and looked around the room. Most of the men of the clan had been taken and never came back. There were six of them left, including himself. The rest were now all woman and children.

"We are. The five of us, you just stay here, we'll come back I promise you." The five men stood up tall, wobbling dangerously from exhaustion.

"Take Yukio with you, please." Everyone turned to look towards his mother, her frightening thin frame shook as she spoke and those once soft and gentle eyes looked up from within her sockets and pleaded quietly. She knew help wasn't coming, they were all going to die if they didn't leave now. "It's his only chance." The man with the jutsu stalled, looking over at her and then Yukio. Finally he nodded and turned around.

"Say goodbye kid, it's going to be a while." Yukio whipped back towards his mother, the defiance clear across his face.

"I'm not leaving you! You can go with us, please, don't stay here." He cupped her hands with his and his bright eyes flashed between hers. "Please, I can't go alone."

"You have to, for me." His mother leaned back against the wall and sighed deeply. "I don't have much longer and I can't die knowing I've left you in a cell to rot. What kind of mother would I be?"

"If you wanna come, come on." The man interrupted worriedly. Yukio shook his head but his mother wouldn't have it. She smiled sweetly and lifted one frail hand to brush his cheek.

"Everything will be okay Yuki darling. Stay strong for me and don't ever let them catch you. And remember, no matter what happens to me, I will always love you."

"I-I love you too." He choked out, dropping his head so no one else would see him cry. "I'll come back for you, I won't let you die here I promise." She patted his hands and he slowly withdrew them, standing up and quickly wiping away the hot flash of tears that had briefly overwhelmed him. He looked back at her as he joined in the circle, falling in closer with the small crowd around the man. They held on tight to wherever they could grab and then in a flash, he couldn't see his mother any longer.

* * *

"I went back like I said I would, but it was pointless, they had killed everybody the minute they found us gone. One of the men got caught, they murdered him on the spot. After we disbanded, I don't know what became of the rest of them, but I know that even to this minute, we're being hunted. Who knows, I could be the last of my clan left." Yukio's eyes glanced up at Hinamei and sensing the trouble within her, he forced a gentle smile. "Looks like we've got more in common than you thought."

"I-" Hinamei started, blinking back the soft flow of tears she hadn't realized were there. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Yukio replied softly. But Hinamei shook her head and pulled back from her chair. He watched on wordlessly as she came closer, and even when she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around his shoulders he still didn't say anything. Instead, he inclined his head towards hers and closed his eyes. It was nice feeling her warmth creep onto him.

"You should have told me sooner." Hinamei whispered, "no one should have to face such an awful past alone."

"You're not one to talk." He replied, nuzzling into the smell of her sweet spring time hair. From years ago, this smell, this comfort, it reminded him so dearly of his lost mother and how much he would give just to feel the gentle sweep of her fingers across his face once more. When Hinamei moved to pull away he felt inclined to drag her closer towards him but instead, he withdrew shyly and looked at his knees. "I've been meaning to tell you something," he said darkly, a thought having strayed into his head when he was lost in memory. Yukio looked up at Hinamei, his hands moving to catch hers before she withdrew. A startled, fleeting look of shock distressed her face but quickly she regained control. "I've got a really bad feeling. Lately, I've noticed..." he looked down, unsure of himself.

"What is it?" Hinamei asked brashly, though her intrigue quickly wiped away any hint of arrogance.

"When I left my mother, I had this feeling she wasn't going to make it. And it wasn't just because she was sick, it was everybody. Like I knew they were all going to die whether we got help or not. And-" His mouth strayed open for a second and then he closed it, bringing his hands back. He felt stupid with his far fetched premonitions. "And I feel that same way about us. Like something terrible is going to happen soon and neither of us will have the power to stop it." When he looked back up at the girl across from him, her expression was unreadable, but not in the way that he had initially expected.

"I feel the same way." She finally said, rocking back on her heels to stand up. "But," she said, a sudden wave of confidence coming over her. "There's nothing we can do to stop it if it does, all we can do is prepare right?"

"...Right." Yukio said, his own confidence much lower than Hinamei's was. "But aren't you afraid of dying?" She put a slender finger to her lips and tapped, finally turning back to him with a smug smirk on her mouth.

"No, I've witnessed it too many times to count, it doesn't look that bad really," she said dryly. "But no one ever said we're going to die. No, my feelings are much different. Bad, but not tragic." Despite her upbeat attitude, Yukio still looked troubled, so she quickly changed the subject. "You know, we haven't changed that bandage of yours in a while. Come on, let's change it before your arm falls off."

He followed wordlessly, but nonetheless, he followed.

* * *

The night air prickled at her skin as she walked with her hands deep in her coat and her eyes firmly ahead. The sun had gone down an hour ago and the night air was bright with a curious silence blanketing it.

The day had been uneventful. After their talk Yukio seemed to withdraw into himself, not that Hinamei minded, in fact it looked like he really needed his own time anyway. After what he had been through (the last couple of weeks mainly) he needed some recuperation. While he stayed quiet, Hinamei packed what she could. She spent a little time cleaning but after she had finished that there was hardly anything left.

So she decided, if Yukio had his little trip down memory lane, why not her? After all, her last walk had been rudely interrupted by a certain ghost from the past and there was still a lot she had wanted to see, or better yet remember. And it wasn't like there was anything else to do. Hinamei walked on for a while at a slow, cautious space. Keeping her attention on the look out for anything or anyone that wasn't supposed to be there. The only time she did let her guard falter was when she came to a crawling pace in front of a certain house.

It was strange, standing there when it seemed like only yesterday she was sitting on those same stairs waiting for Itachi to come home. Her eyebrows knitted close together and she stifled a sigh as she stepped closer. her fingers reached out and grazed the wood from the small staircase and carefully she stepped up onto the porch. It was hardly noticeable as she slipped into the front door and raked her eyes over the dark, lumpy shadows in front of her. Every piece of furniture that remained was covered in thick, heavy sheets. Layers and layers of dust sat a top that but still, not much had changed. Images flashed behind her eyes as she walked around from the first day she step foot in this house to the last. It was almost like being stuck in a dream as she walked down the narrow hall to the old bedroom that once belonged to Sasuke and Itachi.

As she stood in the doorway she frowned. She shouldn't be here. Hadn't she had enough of Itachi the past few weeks? Why had she wandered in and why was she feeling the sudden pang of pity as she remembered just how close her and Itachi once had been. It didn't make any sense. Or at least, she hoped it didn't. It was enough to feel like she was still in love with him, but to want him back, no, that was entirely different. And on a scale of bad to worse, that definitely hit the highest. It took everything she had to turn away, to walk back down the hall with her head held up high and her eyes unwavering. She didn't breathe until she was back outside, shuddering on the porch in the dead of night. As she crumpled down and was forced to hold herself up with her shaking, weak hands, she couldn't help but wonder how she got here. This pathetic, crying fool who was being hunted for the sake of what?

Hadn't she experienced enough hardship to learn a lesson? All her life she struggled to be a good person and none of it paid off. To her, even Itachi lived a better life and he hadn't done one good thing with the exception of sparing Sasuke. But truth be told, he shouldn't have killed everybody else in the first place. Her shoulders shook and she couldn't contain it anymore, she hoped the world heard her.

As a child, Hinamei was notorious for being sensitive. _Everything_ made her cry, most of it stemmed from one boy in particular though. As she grew up she desperately tried to leave that little girl behind. It wasn't what she wanted to be but some things really never change. Like the undeniable love she had for a certain criminal or her never ending vendetta against the world to prove something. But most of all, it was her sweet and sensitive nature that was truly unshakable.

She could almost hear Shisui calling her a crybaby while he laughed, while Itachi only looked away irritated but always inwardly concerned.

That moment on Itachi's old porch, she cried for her boys. For the fate of the world and for everything else she had forgotten to cry about since the night Itachi forced her to leave.

* * *

For people like Hinamei, who are burdened with a life of undeserved hardships, it is said that they are simply born with bad luck. Which was a theory she had considered many times before. It wasn't until later that night did she decide that nothing would ever get easier and she was forever cursed to endure what honestly felt endurable.

It happened when she was walking back home. The night air hadn't changed, still stifled with a crown of eerie silence and chill. Her face was slightly swollen and red from crying and every now and then she'd take a tremble of air in as she recovered from her deep emotional release. Although her body seemed to be taking the hits from her turmoil, her mind felt ten burdens lighter as she walked. Most people don't understand what a good cry is, and that's exactly what she chose to refer to it as. A good, long, needed cry. But in those ten minutes of calming thought, Hinamei let her guard fall down to the point that it appeared she had a death wish.

And in ways, if she were to look back, she could have seen the next series of events as the only stroke of good luck she ever had.

"Who are you?" Hinamei's foot stopped before it hit the ground and her shoulder's tensed. With her eyes wide and straight ahead she was almost afraid to turn around. "Did you hear me?" Her guest asked a little more sharply this time. "Tell me who you are." Time seemed to come to a crawl as Hinamei gently stepped down and slowly looked over her shoulder.

The person behind her stood several heads below her, his arms were dangling at his sides, fingers flexing in and out of a fist. His mouth was slightly down turned, but not in a sad way, more than anything he looked concerned, maybe even a touch frightened. But it was those eyes that were most unsettling. They were dark, narrowed and untrusting and for a slight second, recognizing. "I-I..." Hinamei began, but Sasuke tilted his head up and his expression became nothing short of confused.

"You're the girl Kakashi was speaking to earlier today. But what are you doing in here? This place is off limit's you know, you can't just walk around like this." He said sharply, his arms crossing defensively. Though she was still nervous and slightly perplexed, she relaxed at the thought that Sasuke still didn't seem to recognize her. A small defeated smile touched at her lips and she turned half circle to face the smaller boy.

"If that's so, then why are you here?" Sasuke pulled his lips into a thin line and looked away from her, a look she had seen countless times before.

"That's none of your business. Now answer my question," he said hotly, that anger flashing back up into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Hinamei finally admitted. "I can't. Now if you'd please excuse me." She made to turn around, her gaze shifting around, she needed to be careful she didn't guide Sasuke back to Yukio or her whole cover would be blown. Slowly, she started walking in the opposite direction her house was, knowing that her answer wouldn't be enough for Sasuke.

"Stop!" He snapped and she firmly ignored him. "Stop now or I'll have you removed from this village immediately." His tone made her halt and she turned coyly over her shoulder with an eyebrow raised.

"What's stopping you?" At her question Sasuke stepped back, for a second he considered, not sure himself why he was stalling.

"Because I saw you," he finally said. "I saw you go into that house back there and I saw you crying." Though she was far from surprised, she was slightly taken aback that it had taken him so long to come forth, but then it made sense. He didn't come out armed because to him, she wasn't a threat. She was a curiosity that he was just dying to figure out. After all, no one had cried over his lost clan for years and he hadn't expected anyone to start, let alone a stranger. "So tell me, why are you here?"

"Will you walk with me?" Hinamei blurted out. "I'll tell you everything." She said smartly when she noticed his hesitation. Sasuke uncrossed his arms and took a step forward. Though it was obvious he wanted to do anything but follow her, he reluctantly moved forward till he stood near her. Hinamei looked down at him, a small surge of pride flowing through herself. But at that moment her focus wasn't on Sasuke but instead the direction she was walking. it was vital she keep herself looking natural while she fabricated a complete story of lies. She needed Sasuke out of the area and she told herself, as soon as it was clear, Yukio and herself would move out.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Sasuke said, interrupting her thoughts. It was obvious the boy didn't have much of a patience, but that didn't surprise her. She wondered if her knew just how much he was like his brother.

"Yeah, calm down kid," Hinamei replied. "A long time ago, I knew your family." She said quietly, glancing down at Sasuke to see his reaction. His eyes were widened and his mouth fell open slightly but he quickly regained himself. "When I moved here, from a small tea village about eleven years ago, I met your brother to be more precise. You were just a small child at the time, you wouldn't remember me." She tacked on when he started to study her face. "I didn't stay long in the leaf village, I left only a year after I arrived to travel with my own family. But," Hinamei's eyes studied the sky, her own emotions clouding her judgment. She wanted to tell him the truth more than anything. Kneel down in front of him and beg him to remember. When she let her eyes fall she realized, she wouldn't just be putting herself in danger, but Sasuke too.

"But what?" The boy said quietly, all seriousness.

"Oh?" Hinamei looked over at him and smiled wryly. "Sorry, I'm a little more spacey than usual." He nodded in recognition and kept his head forward. "What I was saying is your family left an impact on my life that I could never erase. The news reached me of the massacre only a couple months ago, a little late obviously, and I came as soon as I could to give my prayers. Being in that house brought back some memories, very cherished memories of mine that I had thought I'd forgotten. It was a little bit painful so I'm sorry if I scared you."

"You didn't scare me," he said suddenly looking up at her. "You just, reminded me of someone I guess."

"Who?" She asked quietly, unable to resist.

"No one, just someone who died with the rest of them. It's not important." When he lifted his head she saw years of bottled up anguish threatening to spill out, but even if she didn't understand what kind of person Sasuke had grown to become, she knew he wouldn't let it out even if it killed him. And that thought nearly broke her heart. Hinamei stopped walking, turned towards Sasuke and pouted. When he looked up to face her curiously he was more than taken aback when her arms flew towards his neck and the taller woman threw herself at him. She was hunched over, burying her face into the crook of his neck and was crying again. To Sasuke, the situation was so bizarre he didn't even want to move.

When Hinamei realized he wasn't going to give in, she pulled away, a watery smile on her face. "I'm sorry." Sasuke took an eager step back and unruffled his clothes. "I didn't mean to jump you like that."

"Right," Sasuke replied, unsure how to handle the situation, the girl included. "I need to be leaving though now, it's getting late." Though she was slightly offended to hear she had nearly scared him off, a wave of relief washed over her that the whole thing would soon be over.

"Of course!" Hinamei said happily, "me too. I'm leaving the village tomorrow morning actually." She said hoping that her words were a little less obvious than they sounded. "It was nice talking to you though." She tacked on. Sasuke gave a small, familiar 'hn' and turned to walk away but stalled last second and turned around.

"Be careful out there." Even though his words sounded forced and unfamiliar she couldn't help but beam at him as he turned and walked away. And it wasn't until Sasuke was completely out of sight did Hinamei dart back in the opposite direction towards her old house. Desperate to leave as soon as possible and try as hard as she can to not look back.

For good this time.


	15. The World Without You

**A/N:** This is important, please read!

I know as a writer that characters that are borrowed such as these are only truly believable if they _stay_ in character. Which is why this chapter was such a struggle for me. At one end I feel like there is no "in character" for such situations (romance, heartache, I'll give him regret but that's about it.) It never showed much of Itachi outside his facade and like most of you I assume, I thought Itachi couldn't get much more complex until I read the most recent developments to the manga and then was all fml, now what am I supposed to do? (If you aren't caught up on the manga, maybe you shouldn't read the rest of this note. I might ruin some things for those of you who aren't keeping up. Tsk. Tsk.)

I've reached the conclusion that Itachi is _so_ complex and deep that I probably won't ever depict him in true justice. Haaa. But really, I like to imagine that no one is that good at pretending 24/7 and that yes, sometimes Kisame and himself sat down and just vented to each other like true BFF'S and sometimes Itachi has a heart. Don't lie, I know all of you have felt the same way at some point or another. SO, to put an end to this whole babble, I do believe that Itachi is "in character" but only subject to what I imagine he would be like in such a situation. And yes, I've done this mainly throughout the whole series since Itachi never really was depicted as a heartbroken lover (excluding Shisui, cause now I'm more sure than ever that they were totally man-hot for each other. Aww.) but I'm bringing it to attention now mainly because I'm just really self-conscious about this chapter. Plus, because of the newest manga chapters, I can't stop fangirling over Itachi's new attitude towards everything. Seriously. He's fucking perfect and I'd like to pretend that he was always such a softie on the inside. Alright, someone brick me now.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen:

"The World Without You."

* * *

Itachi was so strikingly elegant on his own that standing next to his brute of a companion his every sway and breath seemed almost otherworldly. And this didn't go unnoticed as Kisame watched his partner, who stood next to him looking both mildly perplexed and terribly disturbed at the same time, while they were being forced to stand aside by orders of the very person Kisame nearly envied and admired. His sharp beady gaze moved from Itachi's pale and troubled face down towards the ground in a wide sweeping motion until they settled on a pair of hardly distinguishable forms.

"So, is that them?" Kisame asked darkly, though his eyes weren't as strong or keen as Itachi's were, he understood that the people below were much more than the latter gave away. Even considering Itachi had become merciful to their captives, by no means would anyone else agree upon, but for a murderer, his motives were becoming questionable.

"No, one of them is the girl. The other though..." Itachi hesitated and for a slight second withdrew his gaze guiltily at the ground. "Is not the boy."

Kisame groaned and leaned back against the tree trunk, stretching out his sore limbs almost wearily. "Do you think she left him behind? Should it matter," he questioned almost to himself. "Our orders were only to retrieve the girl right?"

"Correct," Itachi sternly replied. "But it would be unwise to leave the boy now, he's learned too much about us. After all," his gaze shot back up as Hinamei jolted forward, her arms sloppily thrown around Sasuke's neck. A searing pain cut suddenly through his chest, startling Itachi and forcing a slender hand fluttering near the brazen wound. Before Kisame could notice however, he forced his hand back down towards his hip, grimacing away from his partner. "He's touched us both with his bare hands. It's possible he knows something we didn't intend to release."

"So then what?" It was obvious from his tone Kisame's patience was finally beginning to wear thin. "Do we ambush her and force her to tell us where the boy is?"

"We wait," at Itachi's answer Kisame flung his incredulous gaze back towards the Uchiha. "Just a little while more."

"Itachi-san," Kisame mockingly said feeling both anxious, concerned and for some reason nearly predatory. "What is it you're not telling me?" When Itachi's dark gaze flickered from the parting duo beneath them his expression was almost unreadable. "There's no need to lie to me anymore, I already know you're defying orders. I knew the moment you suggested we take the longer route." Though he never meant his tone to sound so accusatory, it was only his right to know. He wouldn't for one second stray from Itachi's side, no, his loyalty ran deeper than that and even Itachi knew this. But if he was going to play along he better know what he was risking it all for.

"I doubt you'd understand, even I'm not entirely sure what to make of it." Itachi said regretfully. It had been a long while since Kisame had heard such inflections in Itachi's voice and nearly, he had forgotten that Itachi was human.

Kisame pressed a small sideways smile away and looked back down at the now empty road. He stretched his legs fully out and nestled his back into the tree further. Now that he knew they weren't in a hurry, he might as well get comfortable. "Try me," he said with his eyes closed. The short, nestled sigh that left Itachi's pale lips was hardly audible, but to Kisame, he knew he better start listening in for he'd probably be the last person to hear Itachi's truest, deepest feelings ever again.

"Her name," Itachi started, feeling a small relief give way in his chest as he spoke. "Is Uchiha Hinamei, and I was once arranged to be wed to her."

* * *

Never in her life had Hinamei felt so adamant about a single decision.

Well, in her case, several decisions. The first was to leave the village and never return. What she thought would be a safe haven only turned out to be just another painful reminder of her failures. And maybe, she considered, was the source of all her bad luck. Whereas her original plan was to leave in the morning she was now set on pulling Yukio from his troubles and forcing him to flee with her now. They didn't have much time left. If it was at all possible she had nearly forgotten about the looming threat that was Itachi. She wasn't any safer in the leaf village than she was out of it and by this time, they will have already started looking there.

Her second decision was one solely based upon personal feelings, not reflecting her safety or any other major and probably more important factor. The source being a single wispy haired boy with eyes like sapphire. Her heart clenched at the thought of Yukio alone and hurting. For a long while she spent her time wallowing in her own painful past, feeling so alone. It was just as tender now as it was then and finally, someone came along feeling just as wounded. It was only natural she jump to protect him. Which is why she pushed herself harder, even though her knees shook wearily, her feet couldn't pound against the road any faster.

Her eyes lit up when her old and battered house came into view and without caring to be quiet, she stormed up to the front door and hastily threw herself into the doorway. "Yukio!" She cried out, eyes immediately scattering around the room.

"You're going to kill me running around screaming like that!" An absent shout came from behind a chair in the living room. Hinamei's shoulders relaxed as the blonde headed kid slowly stood up, shaking like a leaf. It was a sight that even Hinamei couldn't resist laughing at.

"Don't be such a girl," she replied teasingly. "I didn't mean to scare you _sweetheart."_ Yukio winced at her tone and looked away bitterly without a sharp word to retaliate with. But it took no toll on Hinamei as she stepped closer and threw a thin arm over his shoulder. "Are you packed?"

"Yes, why?" The boy replied tiredly.

"Because we're leaving." His bright eyes turned curiously towards the girl as she smiled, the frown on his face only etching deeper.

"Right now?" Hinamei answered with a nod and as she halfway expected, Yukio shook his head and slipped out from under her touch. "I'm sorry, I can't. I'm too tired and my arm has been hurting all day."

"You don't have a choice." At her response Yukio turned around, shoulders stiff and eyes narrow.

When her serious expression caught his eye he snorted and turned around, an incredulous smirk at his mouth. "And what, are you going to drag me if I don't comply?"

"Of course," came her brisk and overly confident answer. He glanced over his shoulder, looking defeated and ready to throw himself to the floor. "Look," Hinamei said pleadingly. "I'm tired too but we can't waste too much time. Do you think they are out there picking flowers? Itachi and that other creep could be right down the road. They aren't by any means stupid and honestly, if we could sneak in so could they." When he didn't look convinced Hinamei scowled and crossed her arms. "Do I need to remind you it's been ages since I've had a drink in my system? You're not the only one suffering here."

"You're kidding," Yukio said half-heartedly, but upon catching the dark look in her eyes he decided quickly she wasn't. "Oh fine!" He said, throwing his arms up in defeat. "I'll go, but I swear, if I die of exhaustion it will be all your fault."

"Wonderful," Hinamei exclaimed, her hands suddenly at Yukio's back pushing him towards the bedroom. "I'll give you five minutes."

* * *

A prompt and sudden sound spurred Itachi from his thoughts, "they're leaving," he remarked quietly. Kisame perked up and followed his gaze, a small smirk playing at his hungry lips.

"So they are. Should we get started?" Kisame halfway expected the answer, but regardless, it came as a small shock when Itachi slowly shook his head to decline his partner's tactic.

"Give them a head start, after all, the more time the better." With his eyes closed again he nearly started to fall back into his train of thought when Kisame's voice broke through his guard.

"Is this your plan Itachi-san? Because eventually, you'll know she'll have to meet her end."

"I know," Itachi replied in a hollow tone. "But if I could delay her life span, even if only by a few days, I might spare myself some of the haunted feeling I'll be forced to live with regardless if I didn't."

"I never knew you were so self aware," Kisame replied offhandedly. Itachi opened one eye and glanced over at his partner, minding his thoughts to the small keen smirk Kisame kept glued to his face. The man truly was manic. The Uchiha carelessly shut the world out again and replied with the one thing he knew would fit the situation.

"Hn."

* * *

"I thought you said you knew where we were going?" Yukio asked in a small voice. Hinamei shorted him a stern look and turned back towards the road, though even she could admit they had passed that mangled root three times already.

"I'm trying," she replied, her hands falling stiff at her sides. "But it all looks the same!" A frustrated hand flew to her head, mangling her hair. "How hard can it be to find one straight road to somewhere?"

"Well considering it's you..." Hinamei's fist shot towards his shoulder and he cried out in surprise. "Sorry, sorry..." he muttered, he should have known she wasn't in the mood for his smart mouth tonight.

"We'll try that way," she replied stiffly. "Keep your chin up and for your sake, be a little more considerate."

Yukio stared as she watched away, a frown deep set onto his pale lips. In truth, Hinamei had a right to be acting so disconnected from everything. He shouldn't have blamed her for her sudden mood swings every other ten minutes. But he did. When she noticed he wasn't stepping after her, she turned on her heel and glared.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Get over yourself already! You're not the only one having a bad day." She turned her head away from him and gave a short, humorless laugh.

"I'm just trying to get us out of here in one piece, kid. Play along alright?"

"No!" Yukio threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "We've been walking for hours, in _circles!_ Why are we running, I thought you said we could trust him now!"

"We could have!" She cried back, forgetting all about the looming threat. "Until _you_ made a stupid, careless mistake!"

"So this is all my fault?"

"If you want to get technical, sure!" Hinamei sneered, having forgotten the reason she had ever brought him along. Yukio's eyes lowered, his shoulders falling slightly. And even though the reaction across Hinamei's face told him she halfway regretted her words, the stabbing pain in his stomach wasn't changing. "Yukio I-"

"No I get it, the guy murders your whole clan but he can still change right?" For once she seemed at a loss for words. "I'm not risking my life anymore just because you're still head over heels with a psycho."

Hinamei's dark eyes flashed up, her eyebrows tilted forward in a helpless manner. "It's not like the Yukio! I can't explain it but I know him a lot better than you-"

"I might not have known him when you did, but I've been battered, tortured, and dragged along long enough to know neither of them were going to start being nice anytime soon!"

The Uchiha stared and then turned away, feeling bitter and embarrassed. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long while. "Well where else are you going to go? It's not like you were exactly walking free before you got involved with me." Yukio looked up at the sky, a distant pained look on his face.

"No," he replied still not looking at her. "But at least I wasn't walking willingly to my death." When he finally looked back at Hinamei, his expression had changed. Torn and unsure. "Hinamei I really..." His eyes flew to his nervous hands and he shook his head. "Nevermind. Just go, I'll be fine without you."

"But I won't be." Hinamei hadn't meant for her words to sound so needy, but the lone thought of moving alone was enough to send her reeling back to the mentality of a five year old. "Please, I don't want you to go." Her heart thrilled upwards when Yukio stepped towards her, and when his slender hand touched at her shoulder she couldn't bear to keep her eyes open any longer.

"Think about what you're asking me to do Hinamei. You care more about him than you do yourself..." His hand eased off of her and she let out a short breath of air. "...or me for the matter."

"Yukio I'm sorry!" She said quickly, lunging forward to wrap her arms around his neck. Before she could stop herself the tears were rolling and awkwardly, Yukio held his hands outward, not knowing how to handle the sudden turn of events. Hinamei cried harder when she realized how much of a loose cannon she was becoming. This was the second person she had ambushed in the same night. "Don't leave me please! I can't do this without you! I promise I won't let anything or _anyone_ ever hurt you again! Do you hear me, I promise!"

"Hinamei..." Yukio softly said into her tangled hair. He was answered with a small whimper. His blue eyes looked back up at the sky. There were very few places he could be that could be worse than this and yet, things didn't feel so bad now. Slowly, he let his hands fall naturally across Hinamei's neck and back. Slowly rubbing soothing circles into her. It had been a long time since someone had been so close to him. Her breath on his neck, the warm drench of her breakdown, the unbreakable grip she had onto his thin shirt.

It only made things harder.

"But what if we can't ever get away?"

Hinamei pulled away awkwardly and stood up straight, looking back and forth across Yukio's face. "I-I don't know yet. But our chances are better together aren't they?" Though her words weren't helping as much as she intended, Yukio nodded and sighed.

"Fine, lead the way." He looked up with a coy smile, "if you can that is." Hinamei frowned and punched him again in the arm, though this time the force wasn't quite as demanding. A small smile of her own edged at her lips and she turned away feeling only a little more hopeful.

"You're lucky I need you."

* * *

Over the coarse of another hour, the trees had thickened and somewhere in the distance came the sound of rushing water. The sky was a deep black, the shroud of the overhead foliage blocking out any light of the moon or stars and both Hinamei and Yukio held their breath as to not interrupt the bleak silence of the night. Their footsteps were as light as air, every now and then the small snapping sound of a breaking twig broke through their solace and both would exchange worried glances.

But they wouldn't ever stop.

They couldn't. The immense weight of Hinamei's promise was pushing and pushing her farther into the thicket of trees, Yukio only inches away from her. Every glance she stole from him sent her heart into a flutter of nerves. What if she couldn't save him? What if death was inevitable and fate had only been written up until this point? She didn't want to let him down, but over the coarse of her life she had already realized she was better at disappointing than most.

Especially when it came to herself. Looking back, Hinamei never saw her as the person she was these days. As a child, when both her mother and father were still around, there hadn't been a child happier than she was. She should have realized things wouldn't stay the same. Days after her father had died, her mother sat her down and told her that things are always easier when you're younger, and if you like, you could make things better. But Hinamei, being who she naturally was, chose to wait. Until it was far too late to turn things around.

If there was one thing she regretted most, it would be that she was never happy enough.

Maybe, if she hadn't been so stubborn, she could have changed it all. Maybe she could have fixed Itachi, saved Shisui, made her mother happy. But now, like everything else, they were all past repair. And now she was quickly spiraling down with them, dragging Yukio down with her. Who would save her when she hit the bottom? Who would be left to give a damn, after all, she never did. It was hard to feel like things weren't already over.

And the weight of the world only got heavier when she felt that all too familiar chill creep her spine. _"Shit!" _Hinamei hissed under her breath, stopping suddenly and turning half way around on her heel. "They've found us," Yukio stiffened and looked behind him into the darkness that looked like it was slowly engulfing them, now more than ever. When he turned back towards his companion, those dangerous scarlet eyes were boring into his face. Her hand whipped out and wrapped tightly around his wrist, fingers digging in so tightly he winced when she pulled him forward behind her.

"We can't outrun them!" Yukio cried out suddenly as his feet were forced to move awkwardly in the dark.

"Well I'm not standing there and waiting for them to catch us," she quickly retaliated. "Just follow my lead." Easier said than done, Yukio thought in a panic. Whereas Hinamei had her eyes to guide her, all he had was a foolish, blind faith leading his way. But it wouldn't have been the first time it had showed him the light, so he held his breath tight in his chest and hoped he was making the right choice.

But Hinamei knew, they weren't going to last long. With her hand tightly clamped around Yukio's slender wrist, she did the only thing she had left. She prayed against all costs that they would not fall apart from each other. Her frightened, quick breath echoed off the ground, spinning beneath their feet and it was all the more motivation to keep moving, to stay as far away from that unwritten fate as possible.

She had to keep her promise, it was her last hope in her dismal, unlit world.

Yukio tried hard to stay alert. They were moving faster than he was used to, and everything had become a blur to him now. Everything but her. His sapphire gaze settled on her, feeling a bloom of comfort unfurl within his chest. If only she knew how much he cared. It was probably foolish, letting his feelings get in the way like he was. But it had been so long since he had felt the luxury of compassion from another human being, he couldn't even consider the thought of her dying for a cause that made no sense to anyone but Itachi, despite what she had come to believe. And that's where his reasoning came from the moment his foot got caught in a wide root, forcing him to the ground with a loud, alarmed cry.

Hinamei halted immediately, nearly falling herself. With panic fleeting across her scarlet eyes, she stumbled back and kneeled before him in the damp earth. "Get up, we have to keep moving!" She cried out, grabbing at his hands trying to pull him back up desperately. But it was of no use, his ankle had twisted and even the smallest ebb of movement had him wincing.

"I-I can't, I've hurt myself again dammit." He said through a sharp hiss of breath. "I can't walk like this."

"Then let me carry you!" Hinamei inched closer, trying to slip Yukio's arm around her shoulder. But he pulled his arm back towards his body and shook his head. "We've made it this far, you can't-"

"I'll only slow you down, just keep going. There's no point in us both getting caught!"

"I'm _not_ leaving you, I promised I wouldn't let anything hurt you Yukio. We're going together, do you understand me!" She was yelling now, torn with frustration and forgetting entirely of the looming threat not far off in the distance. When her hands went down again to force Yukio up, he jolted away. Hissing loudly as a shock of pain bolted through him. "Stop playing around, we need to go!"

They were close enough now he could feel their threatening aura's coming closer.

"Leave! If you don't go I'll...I'll never forgive you!" Hinamei shrank back slightly, her still outstretched hand pulling back inwards. When Yukio looked up, his heart broke in two. He'd never forget that look on her face. So he did the only thing he could, he looked away. Like a child, she stumbled back and slowly stood up, eyes never leaving his dirty, cut face. "I mean it Hinamei. Keep running, I'll be alright. Don't worry." Though he could hear her hesitate, she took off suddenly in a whirl and he put his head against the wet ground. A part of him was angry. Angry that he couldn't take one last look at her as she left, for all he had left was that defeated look he had parted her with.

Yukio took a deep breath, forcing his good hand to prop himself over and roll onto his back. He fell back with a sigh and blinked upwards at the sky. Everything hurt. His leg was no good, his arm was throbbing dully, and his eyes felt heavier than lead. But at least his heart was a little at rest. Even if in the back of his head he knew he'd see her again if he didn't die tonight. She'd always fall for the same trick over and over again. At least he'd bought her a little freedom. And that was worth everything.

Further ahead, Hinamei was at war with herself. How could she leave him like that? Like easy meat, and they were gaining fast, like lions to lambs. All she had done was set out the bait. Those boys were going to kill him, right before they caught up to her and killed her too. But it was useless, her body was on automatic now as she tore through the trees as fast as she could. And then another chill touched her. With wide petrified eyes she looked back, the palms of her hands sweating nervously.

_No, no, no. This can't be happening._

Across her vision, a dark fleeting shadow passed through the branches, trailing not far behind. Running faster was all she could do to keep from crying out in defeat. Ahead she spotted a break in the trees and her full attention zeroed in on it. Long tresses of hair trailed wildly behind her as her arms whipped back and forth to keep the momentum going. Her legs were numb, merely following orders and her breath had gotten icy in her throat.

As the opening moved closer, she burst through. When the light of the moon flooded her like a spotlight, she gasped loudly. There really was no hope left, the small clearing opened up to a small surface outside the edge of a cliff and she knew she had nothing on her side. She really was destined to die. She came to a skidding halt, stumbling on the ground until she was trailing knees in the dirt. When her head stopped spinning and she forced her heart back into her chest, she hastily scrambled upwards.

The minute her head snapped upwards, Itachi slid in like a ghost only a few feet from her. His face was emotionless, catching every small movement she made. It was bad judgment to panic then, backing away from him towards the edge with her hands sloppily splayed out by her sides. "Why can't you just leave us alone?" She yelled loudly. When her feet grazed over loose rocks, Itachi lunged forward slightly with his hands outstretched. His neutral mask giving way only slightly to the panic planted beneath.

"Hinamei, please-"

"Would it be easier if I jumped now? Save you the trouble of killing me later, you know, avoid the mess?" She hissed at him, eyes narrow and teeth bared. A bad cover to the fear that was quickly taking over her body. Slowly, Itachi took a hesitant step forward.

"Calm down, don't do anything stupid." He said impatiently, his hands still ready to reach out and grab her. "I told you I wouldn't let anything hurt you, didn't I? I've got a plan, if you'd only be patient." Her clumsy footing slid back again, feeling the edge close to her heels she swallowed and closed her eyes. The billowing sound of rushing water came from behind her, at least she'd die knowing she had managed to get them close their destination.

"How do you expect me to trust you? You've done nothing but lie to me! Sasuke? He's still alive dammit, you told me he was dead!" She didn't miss the fleeting pained look that crossed Itachi's already worried features.

"There's so much I can't tell you, but please, just trust me. I can help you. Now get away from the edge." Hinamei shook her head, holding out a hand as Itachi took another careful step forward. She didn't like feeling cornered.

"Ita-" But Hinamei's timing had never been worse for the crumbling edge beneath her feet finally gave way and in that single moment before all she saw was the sky turning circles in her eyes, she watched Itachi lunge forward. The tips of his fingers brushed lightly against her own outstretched hand and then it seemed like they were miles apart.

A scream she didn't realize was her own, tore from her throat panicked and not yet ready to die. Her body went upside down like a ragdoll and before she went around again she caught sight of the watery death she was falling towards. She never thought it would end like this. Somehow, this all just seemed much too...impersonal. _"Hinamei!" _What felt like a distant voice called out to her from behind the whipping sounds of air racing by her head like a storm. A small blur was racing towards her in the air, arms outstretched like an angel. And when she screamed out his name she knew she had no choice but to trust him with it all. Her eyes shut tightly, waiting for impact to take her before Itachi could, but instead she felt a pair of strong arms grab ahold of her, bringing her in tightly to a cold embrace.

"Itachi please, don't let me die." She whimpered into his chest, hoping that the wind didn't drown out her words. "I don't want to die yet."

"I'm not going to let you die, I promise." Together, they fell through the air towards the black mass of water below, reeling around. Hinamei took a deep breath before the impact caved around her. Itachi took it to his back, breaking the fall so all Hinamei felt was a sudden rush of icy water wrap around her. She opened her mouth instinctively, taking in the water and she shut her eyes as her lungs swelled painfully. But drowning didn't scare her then, instead, the slowly loosening grip around her body as Itachi fell further and further away gripped her with a new sudden fear. Though she couldn't see and knowing if she didn't expel the water soon she'd drown, she clawed around under the water until her fingers wrapped tightly around the edge of a billowing cloak.

Her head was spinning but that didn't stop her, kicking her numbing legs, she pulled as hard as she could. The surface still seemed like miles away and her lungs truly felt like they were on the verge of collapsing, but for Itachi she pulled harder. When she finally broke the water's surface, she spluttered for air, eyes clinging shut and chest caving in half. When she could finally open her bleary eyes through the pain, she pulled at Itachi's cloak until his back rose upwards through the water. Her eyes shot to the left and spotted a rocky embankment not too far off from where they had landed. She pulled Itachi's body upwards until his head lolled backwards, mouth slightly opened and eyes shut serenely.

_Please don't be dead, I can't do this without you._

When she reached the bank, she pulled his body up after hers onto the rocky bed. Though the world was still spinning and she was having problems breathing, she crawled around and pressed her hands firmly to Itachi's chest. "Come on, breathe dammit!"

Nothing.

Her hands panicked and she swept their touch to his face, sweeping back the matted wet hair that clung to his forehead. "Itachi wake up!" She leaned down close to his chest and closed her eyes, but it was pointless, the current of the ocean was too overpowering for her to make any recognition. She didn't realize she was crying until her face began to get feeling back into it. Lurching upwards, she looked up to the cliff they'd fallen off of. "Somebody help him!" Hinamei cried out desperately. Her voice cracked pathetically and she was thrown back into a coughing fit. But quickly recovering she tried again. "Kisame! Yukio!" Her hands gripped at his wet shirt, Itachi's unmoving body cold beneath her touch. "Somebody, please!" She tried again.

Even though it seemed like nobody would ever hear her, she kept trying. Because the only thing worse than dying would be living in a world without him in it.


	16. The End is in Sight

**A/N:** For my readers, you asked and I delivered. Forgive me if it's too sweet for your tastes, I have a terrible habit of getting really, _really_ into romance stories. It's been a big struggle for me not to make this story like this the entire way through but I really didn't want this story to be one of those or else it would have lost it's impact entirely (And in case you didn't know, there are only TWO chapters left.) As for this chapter, I hope the bittersweet reaction doesn't escape you. I really tried to avoid sappy interactions but Itachi's character can be such a bitch sometimes to get right. Sorry for the length of this chapter too. Been really busy around here so if it feels kind of rushed. That's because it was. But I needed to get it out sooner rather than later.

Also, on a side note. (Again, if you don't keep up with the manga, go ahead and skip this next rant unless you enjoy spoilers...) WTF. Seriously, Kishimoto has to be the biggest troll ever. I had a horrible feeling that something this intense was going to happen. And then it did. And I literally heard fangirls all over the world screaming in rage. Not that it affects me much, not as much as the Shisui bullshit did but still. I can't believe this, this will be the longest seven days of mah life until the next chapter comes out. In the meantime however, I could stare at that picture of Madara for daaaaays, gahhhh...

* * *

Chapter Sixteen:

"The End is in Sight."

* * *

_It was a strange evening._

_The skies were a paling saffron tinted blue, veiled by the rippling of budding clouds. The sun dipped in closer to the horizon and the trees were beginning to look like silhouettes on a lit backdrop._

_In a large field, blanketed by the lush green grass leftover from the ending season, there was two of them. Itachi, with his legs casually thrown out in front of him and his hands secured behind his head, watched the sky with a fevered intensity. Every now and then taking a wistful breath of the cool breeze that swept in through the valley, he wasn't used to feeling so at ease._

_Especially with her around._

_But Hinamei was much too distracted to be bothering Itachi at the moment. Her breath hitched up higher as her knees knocked together and her eyes were dedicated and bright with laughter. She ran through the grass, hands outstretched before her grasping at the grasshoppers that leapt out of her way as she whirled in broad circles._

_He took a deep breath._

_She dived forward with her fingers woven together. "I think I caught one!" She yelled out, looking over the tall grass towards Itachi's direction. She turned back to face her prize and opened up her palms to peek inside. "Oh," she said to herself as she pulled open her empty hands. "Nevermind." Hinamei stood up, rubbing at her green stained knees and she looked up with her hands rushing through her tangled hair. "Don't you just love it here?" She said loud enough for Itachi to hear._

_She was met with a long silence before he spoke. "It's alright."_

_"Yeah," she replied dreamily. "It is. You're not bored are you?"_

_"No," Itachi sat up and looked at her with a deep seated frown. "But maybe you should give up. You aren't going to catch one." The obvious tone in his voice didn't go unnoticed with Hinamei. She swung around, pointing an accusatory finger in his direction._

_"I said I was going to get you one didn't I?" Her mouth pulled into a defiant pout as Itachi stifled a sigh._

_"I never said I wanted one."_

_"That's not the point," she grinned at him, suddenly forgetting Itachi's ever present attitude. "I want to. It's a present."_

_Itachi smirked to himself as he slung his eyes back to the sky. "That's a terrible present."_

_"You said you'd like it," Hinamei reminded him. A small bug leapt by her ankle and with quick reaction she snatched at it. Still turning up empty handed._

_"I said," Itachi countered bluntly," that I'd have no choice but to like it. There's a difference."_

_But Hinamei was already back in motion and Itachi was left blinking after her. A sudden bittersweet feeling rose through him as she laughed._

_Everything he wasn't, she embodied. Compassion, joy, spirit. In a way he envied her, though he'd never tell her so. But he couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to find such happiness within the simplest and smallest things. With his hands propping himself up, he turned away from Hinamei. It was growing darker out and within fifteen minutes the sun would have gone down. As it was they were out too late, his mother would come looking for them soon. But somehow, he didn't mind._

_A brief silence fell over him and he took another deep breath as Hinamei fell forward into the grass. A delighted scream left her lips and she rolled over, holding her cupped hands up in the air for Itachi to see. "I caught one! I told you I would!" But his thoughts were somewhere else, things would be changing soon. After the chuunin exams were over, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the small moments he shared with her._

_"Are you listening Itachi?"_

_She might hate him when he left. And it pained him to think this would be one of the few times he had left to see her smile like that. Smile at him._

_Maybe one day she'd forgive him._

_"Itachi! Itachi!"_

_..._

"Itachi!"

Hands were pressing against his chest, forceful and unsteady. Though it wasn't the pain of the pressure that brought him about, but instead the haunting sound that tore into his senses.

Somebody was screaming his name.

Another force hit him and suddenly, his chest rose upwards and an unpleasant gush of water rushed into his mouth. With a sputter, he turned over on his side and coughed the cold water out of his aching lungs. His own hand rushed to his mouth, running over his wet lips. It took him a second to realize he wasn't in a field anymore. Slowly, he brought his head upwards towards the figure in front of him. Her lips were a pale blue, skin paler than he'd ever seen it. And even though it looked like she'd shake right out of her skin, somehow she found the strength to throw herself at him. "You're alright!" She cried out, catching Itachi off guard. His back hit the rocky beach with a smack, but she didn't notice. "You're alright," she repeated. Itachi relaxed as he rested his head back against the ground, going limp with exhaustion. He didn't have the energy to fight her fully right then.

"Hinamei, that's enough." His voice lacked its usual hardness and Hinamei pulled away gently. Her eyes wandering over his body. "Are you hurt?"

"Stupid," she retorted quietly. "What were you thinking?" Itachi pulled his tired eyes open and blinked up at the pitch black night. He didn't have an answer so she continued. "You could have died. What would be the point of us both getting killed by a fall like that?"

A long pregnant silence followed before he spoke. "I wouldn't have died, but you..." he stalled. "You're fragile."

"Well..." Hinamei's stuttering hand gently touched at his chest. His clothes were stuck to him, soaking wet and dusted with pebbles from the beach. "Thank you," her voice was hardly audible as her head dropped low. "I'm sorry for falling, but I was-"

"There's no need for an apology, just be more careful."

"Alright."

Itachi lowered his dizzy gaze towards Hinamei. He hadn't seen her smile in a while, at least not at him. He doubted he ever would again either. Though she smiled at the boy, yet another thing to add to the list of reasons why he resented that kid. A scuffling of dirt drew his attention back to the moment. "What are you doing?" Itachi asked warily. Hinamei was trying to stand. Her hands were propped up against her crooked knees, brittle and stiff with the cold. Her teeth were grinding together and her eyes were growing heavy.

She was getting sick.

"We need to get back up top. Yukio-"

"He'll be fine." Itachi stood up. His head spun slightly as he stood too fast but he quickly shook it off. "You're hypothermic though, you can't go anywhere like this."

"I'm fine," She replied clumsily. Her speech was starting to run together. Itachi sighed and started to unsnap the buttons on his cloak. When it fell off his shoulders to the ground it made a loud unpleasant sound. "What'reyoudoin?" Hinamei frowned at her slurs. She usually only sounded like that when she was drunk.

"We need to warm your body back up. But not too quickly or you'll go into shock." She forced herself to look away when his shirt came off, revealing his lean frame.

"No, I'm fine."

"Hinamei-" Itachi's hand wrapped around her wrist and forced her to stand tall. "Just shut up." His fingers swiftly unbuttoned her jacket and dropped it to the floor. Before she could pull away, her shirt had followed. Her eyes shut when she realize she was standing in front of him in nothing but a bind. And then she felt it. Itachi's bare chest pressed up against hers. A sudden release of air left her body in the sound of a dreamy sigh, and he pulled her in closer. She turned her head to the side and rested it against his chest.

"I'm stealing your warmth," Hinamei muttered, her fingers trailing his arm.

"It's alright."

He inclined his cheek into her wet hair and took a deep breath.

Where could it go from here? They were at the end of the world now, standing at the edge of another cliff. But this time there was either do or die waiting at the bottom, for the both of them. His eyes closed and his fingers drifted up to her dripping locks. He was only so strong these days, he could save himself for only a little longer. How was he supposed to save her too?

"Itachi." Her voice was a quiver against his skin. "I think I know how this is going to end." His dark eyes reopened, staring out at the dull crash of waves in front of him. "And I'm alright with it."

"Hinamei..."

She pulled back, her fingers trembling to hold her upright by his shoulders. She almost looked like she was going to cry, but below was the unmistakable glimmer of a distant smile touching at her lips. Itachi couldn't help but think it looked out of place. "This time, won't you trust me?"

He wanted to say no. Grab her by the shoulders and tell her she didn't know what she was talking about. That he could still fix it all if she just waited a little longer.

But he knew better and the pain of this inevitable demise was becoming too much for even him to handle anymore. "Only if you'll do something for me in return."

"Anything."

His arm circled her lower waist as he stepped back, holding her upright in front of him. With his other hand he gently placed it against her cheek. While he had the chance, while nobody could see, it wouldn't hurt to let his feelings get the best of him. Just this once. His steep eyebrows softened and he tilted his head to the left, watching her frantic eyes sweep back and forth. "Will you smile for me?" Her eyes widened slightly and her hand flew to steady herself against his grip.

"That's all?" She whispered, he answered with a slow, subtle nod. Hinamei's eyes fell to the ground between their feet. She took a small shaking step forward and looked up into his passive face. The corner's of her mouth tilted upwards and she locked eyes with him.

And then she smiled.

Her lips were a faint blue, trembling against her teeth, but it was a bright and alluring as he ever remembered. "I love you." The words escaped her and slightly, her smile faltered. "Why is it so hard for me to stay away from you? Maybe I'll never be able to..." A small laugh left her and she looked back up at him with the faint edge of tears in her eyes. "But you probably don't care either way do you? I guess it's not important anymore anyways-"

A new warmth invaded her as Itachi sank forward and gently pressed his lips to hers. His grip around her waist brought them closer and she shut her eyes forcefully. His kiss deepened and a deep seated intensity passed through his touch. Unlike anything that she'd ever felt come from him. This wasn't the kind of passion he'd given her before. This lacked anger and madness.

This was, dare she say, almost loving and tender.

Itachi pulled away slightly, eyes lofty and unfocused against hers. "Do you need me to say it?"

"No," she whispered against his mouth. "But what about yourself?"

Itachi leaned in again, closing the small gap that was left between them. As her fingers ran through his tangled hair, her body stopped shaking. Her cheeks grew pink and heated as he slipped farther and farther away from his control. But not for one second did he stop being gentle.

She broke away with a gasp, her head was spinning. But not from the cold, no, she was feeling far too warm for her own good now. Her eyes closed involuntarily and she leaned into his chest, trying hard to regain her breath that had been stolen from her. Itachi's breath was heavy and he leaned in closer to her ear. "Uchiha Hinamei, I've spent too many nights awake worrying for you to not love you. That must be it."

If Hinamei had known that this one moment would be the last time she ever heard those words leave him, she would have cried a little harder.

* * *

"Yukio!" Hinamei cried out, her hands unclenched themselves from Itachi's cloak and she stumbled awkwardly towards the collapsed boy. He winced when her arms circled around his neck and tugged him upwards, but he couldn't complain. His sapphire eyes looked over her shoulder towards Itachi, their eyes met only briefly but Yukio couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, really." Hinamei pulled away quickly and brushed a piece of hair out of his face. "You're all wet."

"Long story," she mumbled. "But, Itachi has agreed to heal your leg." Yukio couldn't refrain from rolling his eyes.

"How thoughtful of him." Immediately he was silenced by the stern look on Hinamei's face. Yet, he had expected it.

"Having some fun were you Itachi?" A chilling voice slithered in through the shadows of the trees. "You shouldn't toy with your prey like that, no matter how amusing it might be." Hinamei's face fell and she rocked back on her heels, an instant glare smeared across her features when she matched his beady stare.

"You're still here," she replied coldly towards Kisame. His eyes lit up in amusement.

"I could wonder the same thing." His reply was so sharply cruel she almost got up to say something more, but Itachi interfered just a second too soon.

"Kisame, not now." He turned his dark stare towards Yukio, forcing the latter's eyes away. "Boy, which leg is hurt?"

"Left," he replied curtly. Hinamei kept her head down as she moved aside for Itachi. And though Yukio tired hard not to look, he couldn't help himself. Itachi bent down on one knee, his long delicate fingers splayed out in front of him over Yukio's legs. A sudden glow of green erupted from his palms. The normally soft gentle light shone like daylight in the deep shadows of the woods, but Yukio could feel the muscle beneath his skin tighten in response.

"I know only minor medical jutsu," Itachi said suddenly while turning to look at Yukio. The boy only tightened his mouth in response. "Your leg will still be sore, but you'll be able to walk without much difficulty." A spasm in his leg snapped his eyes wide and he quickly withdrew himself from Itachi's proximity. Standing up, he stumbled back into a tree and glowered.

"I'm not thanking you," he bit back sourly. From the corner of his eye he saw Hinamei place a hand to her forehead in exasperation.

"I didn't do it for you." Yukio's heart hammered against his chest at Itachi's blunt response, his eyes darted from the first Uchiha to the second. What exactly happened to them? It wasn't so long ago that Hinamei had been running away from him and now he was doing favors for _her? _Though he had expected Hinamei to fall into his trap again, he never thought Itachi would be the type to fall for her charm and give in. Even from the memories he had seen, Itachi didn't come across as a favor kind of person.

"Ah," he leaned against the tree and took a deep, wavering breath. His leg still hurt, he pulled away before Itachi could properly finish. A hand brushed at his shoulder and without even looking, he rolled his arm and brushed Hinamei's hand away.

"Yukio I-"

"Save it," he muttered. "Just make up your mind already, whose side are you on?" Her hand fell back to he side and her nails dug into the soft flesh of her palm. But for once she was at a loss of words. With a shove against the wood he brought himself back into standing position. A pained look fleeted across his face but he pushed on regardless. "Are we going or not?" Kisame grinned and laid a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder, nearly flinging him to the ground.

"Itachi, I think I'm beginning to like this brat!" Yukio answered with a strangled scoff but pulled free from the large man's grasp.

"Hn." Itachi slung a half glance backwards at Hinamei and nodded. "Keep him under control."

She could hear the agitated breath that left Yukio's mouth but she nodded regardless. "There's no need to babysit me, It's not like I can go far on my own anyways." He turned on his heel, making sure to keep light on his hurt leg. "Did you hit your head or something?"

Hinamei's hand flew to her collarbone, and despite the wash of pity that overcame her a part of her was furious with his rude demeanor. "I'm not your enemy! Stop treating me like I am!" She yelled back, ignoring the looks she was receiving from both Kisame and Itachi.

"Well you sure as hell aren't theirs anymore! What else am I supposed to think!"

"I-" She looked around, flustered. "I don't know what's happening anymore!" Her voice died down and she could feel the skin on her palm breaking beneath her nails. "You couldn't possibly understand where I'm coming from..."

"This again?" Kisame cut in, giving Itachi a flat stare.

"Oh shut up," Hinamei snapped. "All of you." Kisame's face looked slightly taken aback before a sudden wave of anger crossed his features. But he was stopped immediately as Itachi's slender hand moved in front of him.

"I'd like to see this." The taller shinobi's face contorted and he looked down at Itachi with mixed feelings. Though he had plenty of questions, Kisame couldn't help but be silenced by the strangely curious look in Itachi's dark eyes.

"No, you shut up, for once!" Yukio yelled back, his gloved hands trembled around his side as if he were going to fall. His eyes were wide and cheeks flushed with irritation. "You knew this whole time we weren't escaping didn't you! Why did you keep me here? So you could run off with _him_ and leave me for dead when the time came?"

"That's not true at all! I told you I didn't know what was going to happen. I still don't!" She was teetering on the edge between hysteria and rage, "I was fully prepared to keep going with you. You were the one who told me to leave remember?" A small disbelieving laugh left Yukio's mouth and he threw his hands upwards.

"I didn't expect you to come back wrapped around-"

_"That_ is none of your concern! I'm still here aren't I? Why do you care so much anyways?" A thought fleeted across her mind and she stopped yelling, her defenses lowered and she withdrew back into herself. "You don't believe me at all do you?" Her eyes fleeted upwards and Yukio sucked in a tight breath. He didn't answer and the last string holding her together finally broke. "I get it," she whispered. "Go ahead and leave. You don't think I can protect you, you don't think that I care? Well I care enough to let you get away while you can."

"Hinamei wait-"

"I can't live knowing you felt like I'd betray you so easily!" Her shoulders started shaking and her arms fell in defeat by her sides. It wasn't until she started crying did she remember they had an audience.

"How stupid can you be?" Yukio's ruthless words delivered a sickening blow and she took in a deep breath that stopped her crying immediately. "Even if I wanted to go I couldn't," the boy turned his head away from Itachi and Kisame. He had never wanted it to come to this, at least not here.

"What do you mean?"

"How can you not see it?" He murmured under his breath and his heart was slamming up against his chest, but it wasn't the thrill he always imagined it would be. It was terrifying and humiliating, knowing full well the heartbreaking feeling that would come along with this confession. "I care so much for you and I hate the fact that you only have eyes for someone like him." His eyes shut, he couldn't bear to see her reaction. Nor the look of satisfaction he knew was sweeping across Itachi's face. "I can't just leave you here, even if you wanted nothing to do with me."

But it was just as he feared, pointless. "I-I don't know what to say to that Yukio."

He held up a hand, while the other wrapped around his midsection. This hurt. It all hurt too much. "You don't have to say anything. At least I'll die feeling like I gave it a shot."

Itachi's hand dropped from Kisame's way and the older shinobi looked down at his partner. Itachi was smirking. So this was what he was playing at. With an air of superiority, Itachi turned and nodded his head forward, he started walking away without another word. "Well that was entertaining," Kisame broke the awkward tension in the air. "It's a shame we're running late as it is. Hurry up kids, we're leaving."

Hinamei stood still from across Yukio. He didn't look at her as he turned to follow behind Itachi and Kisame. But that unmistakable look of shame and humility across his face sent a jab to her chest. Her fingers drifted upwards to stop him, but he wasn't looking. He was getting farther and farther away from her and nothing she could do would stop it.

But there was nothing left to do now but wait. Wait for the end, and hopefully within the small time she had left, she'd have a second chance to make it right.

If she didn't destroy whatever was left of it all first.

* * *

"Is that him?" One masked man asked another from where they were perched in the trees.

"Definitely, there's no mistaking it." Beneath the thick fabric that covered his face, the second man grinned. What luck, what were the chances of finding him of all people in such a secluded area perfect for assassinations? They were going to get a healthy pay for this one. "But we need to wait."

"For what?"

"For backup. We can't take all of them on our own. Tomorrow night, we'll trail them until then." He looked over to his partner and nodded. The first man took out a sharpened knife and cut an indent into the tree branch he was gracefully balanced on. "He's the last one left." The second shinobi turned his eyes towards the vacant space far ahead of him. "Zuishi, you were hard to find but we've got you now. You can't escape twice."


	17. The Other Story

**A/N:** I will start off by saying this, I would greatly appreciate it if you would vote on my new poll. Whatever choice wins will be up very shortly after this series is finished. BTW, this is the second to last chapter of KBTS, and after that there's only an epilogue. So there will be a very short wait.

Just as an FYI kind of thing, the big scene in the middle is a sort of, 'what could have been' type of thing. If it wasn't completely obvious in the first place. Either way. read on my darlings and I look forward to hearing your feedback, positive or negative, I'm ready. Thank you for such dedication for so long. I hope I still have you when this is all over.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen:

"The Other Story."

* * *

"I never wanted to see the world."

Itachi inclined his head towards her, his eyes softly trailing the melancholy expression on her face. "Why do you say that?" Hinamei never looked back at him though, instead she focused all of her attention on the quivering beams of the days first sunlight.

"I told you once I wanted to. That I wanted to travel and discover new things, but in truth, I never wanted that." Itachi's ongoing silence urged her to continue. "I would have been happy to live and die in that village."

"Ah," Itachi breathed out. "I don't think you mean that."

"No?"

"No. If you hadn't left, you would have lived your entire life wondering what the outside world looked like. But that's just how you are and always have been, perpetually discontent with your life." A small hum left her lips and she finally tore her gaze away. Itachi was still staring and their eyes met just briefly.

"I don't like the idea of you knowing me so well."

"Neither do I," Itachi half joked.

A small laugh escaped her and she shook her head. These were rare moments. Serene moments where the lighting was just right and the air smelled sweet. There was no anger, there was no uncertainty. There was only them. But moments like these passed by all too quickly, and this one in particular was nearly gone. "Is it time?"

"I'm afraid so." Hinamei watched Itachi stand up. His tall frame towered above her, cloak wavering in the draft that reached them. He was power in its truest form. "It can't be helped, you know this." She blinked and looked away in defeat.

"So you've told me," she stood up, hardly matching his height, and she turned away. "I think your wrong about this Itachi, there's a second chance for everyone."

"Not for me there isn't," Itachi quietly replied. "Either way, we need to get back-"

"Can I have just a minute to myself?" She caught the clear answer in Itachi's frown and she quickly moved to defend herself. "I won't run off if that's what you're thinking."

"Fine, but don't take long." As she turned away from him once more she caught the almost undetectable sound Itachi made as he left in a quick blur. Nothing had changed, not by much anyway. After getting the silent treatment from Yukio for the majority of the night, it had taken all the whining in the world to convince them to stop for the night. She couldn't do it any longer, she had been only seconds away from snapping. _Again._

But sleep hadn't claimed her like it did Yukio and Kisame, and out of whatever kindness Itachi harbored towards her in the late night, they had wandered off to the edge of the forest and took in what small time the night had left to offer. She still didn't know where they were headed nor what awaited Yukio and herself when they did reach their destination. She was reluctant to ask, it didn't help either that Itachi avoided the subject at all costs.

Which only made the growing feeling in her stomach worse. It was unnerving and uncomfortable and nothing could shake it. She would have liked to brush it off as nerves but something told her she'd only regret it later when the actual truth hit her. She had a feeling Itachi was feeling the same way. Through the entire time she spent with Itachi, she tried hard to convince him that there were other options. They could leave, take Yukio and run away. He insisted nothing was as simple or as cowardly as running away. And knowing Itachi, even if it had been an option, he'd still refuse to take the easy way out.

Hinamei let out a loud sigh and blew up a defiant piece of hair that lie in the center of her face. There really was no escaping this. For once she had some structure in her life, as unfortunate as it might have seemed. But still she found every reason to be upset with it. Maybe Itachi was right, she'd never truly be happy with the outcome of anything. Either way, she'd have to move sometime unless she wanted Itachi dragging her back. Slowly and brimming with unease, she shrank back into the trees towards the rest of the group.

When she walked back into the circle, all eyes were on her. But only briefly. Yukio quickly looked away, Kisame mainly lost interest and Itachi returned to speaking to his partner. Feeling only slightly jilted, she lingered over closer to Yukio and stood over him until he finally sighed loud enough for her to hear. "What is it now?"

"What is it going to take?" She asked quietly so that their partners wouldn't hear.

"Nothing, I've got nothing to say to you." To his surprise, Hinamei dropped down to one knee and wrapped her arms around Yukio's collar. "Hinamei, please-"

"Shh..." She inclined her head towards his until she was resting on his shoulder. "How many times do I need to say sorry?"

"I don't want your apologies."

"You want me." He stifled a nod, knowing how childish it sounded of him. "You're too young for me Yukio, why would you want to settle down with an old woman like myself?" Yukio groaned and squirmed out from underneath her grasp, turning in the dirt to face her.

"Two years hardly makes the difference-"

"Almost three."

"Whatever!" Itachi and Kisame both pointedly looked over in their direction and Yukio cringed. "Look, just drop it. You're only making it worse." Hinamei shrank back, hurt. "It's fine now. I won't ignore you anymore, but only if you'll stop bringing it up." With quick relief, she sighed loudly and pulled him into a sudden hug.

"Fine! I won't say another word. But I must ask," she said under her breath as she pulled Yukio away to arm's length. "How long have you felt like this because I never-"

"Hinamei!"

"Right," she bit at her lip and forced an awkward smile. "I'll stop now." She stood up, letting her hands slowly fall back to her side, reluctant to let Yukio go. She turned toward the looming duo in front of her and lowered her head. "When are we leaving?"

"We were just waiting for you two to finish up, that's all." Kisame sneered. And though she swore she saw a cold flash rush across Itachi's face, he didn't say anything and instead turned away. "Bring your boy, and keep up this time will you? We're already late enough as it is." When he turned around Hinamei made a mocking face at his back, "stick that tongue back in girl before I bite it off." Startled, Hinamei clapped a hand over her mouth and glanced at Yukio. He only shrugged back.

So it was going to be _that_ kind of day, was it?

And it was, ten times more so than she thought. Even from under the shade of the trees, the sun beat down on her back with a vengeance. A headache had found her and was showing no mercy and the faint delirium from little sleep was finally beginning to show its true colors. It was going to be a long day.

By the time dusk had touched at the horizon again, Hinamei had grown several shades paler and was feeling close to death. It seemed the touch of hypothermia she had from the other night still hadn't quite receded and Hinamei was skeptical to how much longer she'd last running non-stop.

But it didn't take long for her legs to give way like they did, dropping her with a sigh of near unconsciousness.

She fell like a stone, but luckily, Itachi had quicker reflexes to count on. He dipped under the branch he had just been perched on and caught Hinamei only seconds before she would have hit the ground. In his arms, she groaned and placed a hand to her forehead. "I think I'm sick." And despite the hiss of warning that came from Itachi's mouth, Hinamei rolled out of his arms and frantically crawled towards the brush just in time for her stomach to empty what little occupied it.

"She can't keep moving like this, what do you think? Should we stop early?" Itachi glanced up at Kisame and he shrugged.

"We're off schedule by quite a few days, but I won't lie, I'm in no hurry to get back there." Itachi nodded and Kisame took the cue, leaping down from his own branch with strong grace.

"No, I'm fine." Hinamei said, lifting her hand up as she fell back to rest on her haunches. "Really."

"Hardly," Itachi scoffed as he moved closer to her. He kneeled down next to her and brushed a piece of hair back. "We have plenty of time, I suggest you start getting on that and get better."

"Why can't we just keep going for a few more hours? I feel fine."

"I'm sorry, I can't afford to watch over you the entire time." His eyes flashed upwards before they settled on hers again and he lowered his voice. "Please, just relax for now."

"Alright," she replied reluctantly. "But only for a couple minutes." Itachi shrank back and watched Hinamei stumble upwards until she sat herself down by Yukio. She stuck her tongue out childishly at Itachi and brought her knees upwards. With her back to the tree she shut her eyes defiantly. He wasn't able to relax himself until he saw the steady rise and fall pattern of Hinamei's breathing as she slept. He crossed his arms and leaned back and as he watched he couldn't help but feel inclined to know what she was dreaming about now.

Yet, if he had asked her, she would have told him that he'd have been better off not knowing.

* * *

Hinamei stood before a sink, her arms elbow deep in suds and half washed dishes. A soft hum vibrated off of her lips, those that were touched with the slight curve of a complacent smile. Her soft dark eyes focused intently on her basin as she enjoyed the almost alien sound of silence.

But these days, silence didn't stick around for long.

Behind her a door creaked open and shut again. Soft footsteps sounded off of the wood floors and Hinamei turned, spilling soapy suds to the floor as she whirled around. "You're home early!" She exclaimed when she saw him, whipping her bubbling hands upwards in a loud exclamation.

Itachi looked downwards, his mouth tilting up in the sort of smile he only showed to Hinamei. Wordlessly he stepped forward and brought his gaze back towards her. His hand extended upwards and he gently brushed away the fallen soap remains that had seemingly found its way into Hinamei's tresses. "You're like a child with these messes, honestly." His hand fell back towards his side and he smiled. "Cleaning again?"

"Blame your brother," Hinamei replied, turning back around and digging through the water for her lost sponge. "He's invited himself over for dinner again and I don't want a guest seeing my kitchen in this state."

"Ah," Itachi sounded more amused than he should have been. "Though at this point I'd hardly call him a guest. Which reminds me..." The sudden guilty shift in Itachi's voice had Hinamei looking over her shoulder with a weary look.

"What have you done?"

"It wasn't my idea, it's only that Shisui has invited himself over as well."

"Of course he's coming, what day doesn't he-" her words were cut off by the sound of the front door slamming open.

"Oi, Hina-chan!" Sasuke called out from the hallway. "What's for dinner?"

"Our first guest of honor has arrived apparently." Hinamei said with a twitch to her crooked smile.

"Don't stress," Itachi said. He leaned forward and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "I'll keep him busy."

"Thanks," she said with a small laugh. She couldn't be mad now though, but she was grateful for Itachi's efforts nonetheless. When Itachi walked out Hinamei hurried through the rest of the dishes, cleaned the mess on the floor, and wiped the counters before she hung up her apron and smoothed out her hair. "Sasuke!" She called out as she fixed her shirt.

"Huh?" An inky shock of hair appeared before her.

"Would you come to the store with me? I'm going to need an extra set of hands."

"Sure, sure. Let's go."

Outside of the house the sky was glowing with the faintest edges of orange and yellows. Birds cried out and the hustle and bustle of the village outside of the compound was carried on the small breeze that smelled faintly of honey.

Hinamei looked over at Sasuke, who not long ago had been standing only several inches past her knees. The sixteen year old boy glanced over and quirked a brow. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Hinamei replied, turning away quickly. "You're just so big now. I'm afraid one of these days you'll be taller than I am."

"Tch," Sasuke remarked. "I'm already taller than you." She smirked but ignored his chiding tone. "So Hinamei," the boy looked over at her and she could feel where this conversation was headed. "Have you told him yet?" Her fingers lingered over to her stomach, rubbing in small comforting circles.

"Not yet, I was going to tell him tonight but that's no good."

"My fault?"

"Nah," she replied quietly. "I probably wouldn't have been able to work up the nerve anyways."

"He'll be happy you know," Sasuke said wistfully. "I don't know what you're afraid of, Itachi would make a great father."

Hinamei stifled a sigh and let her hands fall. "I know he would, I can't explain it, Sasuke. It's great and yet it's terrifying at the same time. Maybe it's myself that I fear. Am I ready for this? Growing up, I couldn't even take care of myself and it's not like that's changed. How am I supposed to care for a child?"

"You'll figure it out." She almost snorted at his answer, but that was Sasuke and she really couldn't blame him. She had put him in quite the compromising position the day she told him the news and then begged him to keep his mouth shut. Not even Shisui knew yet, but that went more without saying considering how attached at the hip Shisui and Itachi were.

Because of her conflicting thoughts, a comfortable, though not far from awkward silence befell them. Sasuke every now and then would glance over at Hinamei and shake his head, only to look forward once more. They took their time at the market and by the time they finished, their lack of words only seemed to further their appreciation of the other's presence.

Sasuke had always liked Hinamei. As a child, she was always there for him when Itachi was away. When Itachi had been intolerable, she seemed to have a knack for fixing it. In many ways, she was the sister he never had. But in a different way than Shisui was a brother to him. "I'm always here to help," Sasuke said suddenly.

"Help with what?"

"With the baby. You asked how you were supposed to care for it, well, I'm telling you now that you wouldn't be alone." Hinamei inclined her head towards the boy and now that she looked she realized Sasuke was right. He was a good two and a half inches taller. Her eyes softened and she looked away.

"Thank you Sasuke. That...helps."

"You know, if you walk in the house looking so down, Itachi won't leave you alone until you tell him what's wrong." His eyes glanced upwards as they neared the house and he smirked. "And by the looks of it, Shisui's already there."

"Heh," Hinamei rolled her eyes. "Figures. I'll be fine, maybe after everybody goes home I'll tell him."

"I'll be by first thing in the morning then." She nudged him playfully with her arm and he grinned that famous Uchiha grin. So different from his brother but in ways, they were just alike. And as infectious as it was, she couldn't help but laugh.

Before they touched the front steps, the door opened with a flourish and a proud, if not cocky Uchiha blocked their way. "Took you long enough," he replied haughtily.

"Hinamei shops like she's eighty years old," Sasuke said as he dipped under Shisui's arm into the house. The tall boy moved aside and winked at Hinamei as he bent down to take her bags.

"What's got you?" She shook her head, almost too fast.

"Nothing! I'm just a little tired-"

"Great!" She shot him a flat look and he shrugged. "I'll help you in the kitchen then. I brought extras anyways, especially since you're eating for two now." Shisui laughed to himself and without waiting for a response he stalked off with all the groceries. Hinamei however stared unblinkingly at where he had just stood. Had he said what she thought he said? _Eating for...two? _She took a large breath in and closed her eyes. Honestly, these Uchiha's.

"Sasuke!" Her hands were fisted by her sides and if she hadn't had more control she would have punched the kid in the face the moment she saw him. When he did appear, he took one look at Hinamei and sighed.

"He said something didn't he? Dammit Shisui."

"I told you to keep it a secret! If Shisui knows than Itachi knows too-"

"Knows what?" Hinamei swallowed and glanced over Sasuke's shoulder where Itachi stood in the hallway. An eyebrow quirked and a serious expression on his face.

Sasuke quickly turned around and waved his hands. "Nothing! It's a...surprise. Hinamei got you something and I accidentally told Shisui. And you know how big of a mouth he's got." Hinamei placed a hand to her forehead and sighed. This was going so badly it was almost comical. _Almost._

"Really," Itachi remarked. Both Hinamei and Sasuke knew he hadn't bought it. "Hm." He shot a warning look to both Hinamei and Sasuke before turning to move back towards the kitchen. Hinamei nearly yelled. She pushed past Sasuke and ran right through the door just seconds after Itachi did. Both Uchiha's shot her a strange look and she grinned.

"Itachi, Shisui and I are making dinner tonight. You better go keep Sasuke occupied."

"What is wrong with-" The sound of something falling tore Itachi's attention away and he sighed. "Sorry," he said lowly as he walked back out the kitchen door. Hinamei let a sigh of relief out, reminding herself she'd have to thank Sasuke for the distraction later. That was if he hadn't broke something of hers. Either way, that wasn't important, she had bigger things to deal with now.

"Hinamei," Shisui said politely. "What are we making exactly?"

"You haven't said anything have you?" Hinamei cut in quickly.

The taller boy answered with a sigh and turned towards Hinamei. "Of course not, I'm not stupid. But," he held a finger up and waggled it towards her. "I am disappointed you told the brat before you told me. I thought we were better friends than that."

Finally, Hinamei felt like she could breathe. Sure, she should have given him more credit but with Shisui you never really knew. It all depended on who he favored more that day. "I know, but even with Sasuke it had been kind of an accident. I didn't mean to tell anyone."

"Well when will you tell Itachi?"

"Tonight," she said reluctantly. "Sasuke's already made sure of that." Her eyes heightened as Shisui stepped closer, his hands cupped her face as he smiled.

"I'm happy for you," he leaned in and placed a small chaste kiss on her cheek. "But I have to admit, I'm a little bit jealous you'll be stealing Itachi away from me. You'll have to expect me over more often."

"I can handle that," she replied, a glowing tone from her voice. "Thank you." His hand slipped from her face to her hair and he tousled it with a laugh.

"I still can't believe you two got married, never thought that would actually fall through. But now a baby? My crybaby Hinamei is all grown up! I'm so proud!"

Hinamei nudged him in the ribs and scoffed, "Okay, okay. Shi, shut up. Aren't you supposed to be making dinner with me?"

Shisui blinked and looked down at the bag of groceries on the counter, all traces of humor gone. "Oh, we were serious?" And like many things Shisui often said, she'd ignore that one too.

Overall, Hinamei had enjoyed herself. Despite the strange looks she received from Itachi throughout the night, she was glad her two best friends had stopped by to stay. There was a strange feeling in her stomach while she was saying goodbye to them that night, and she accounted them to nerves. "Good luck," Shisui whispered into her hair as they hugged. She pulled away and nodded. Sasuke looked over at her and winked, waved goodbye and set off wordlessly towards Mikoto and Fugaku's house. By the time Shisui had left and it was just Itachi and herself there, she felt ready to explode.

"So," Itachi started as he closed the door. "What's going on with you?" Her hand fluttered nervously at her collarbone and she looked away guiltily.

"Nothing," she replied calmly.

"Don't lie, you've always been terrible at that. You're keeping something from me." He crossed his arms and smirked. "If you don't willingly, I'll make you tell me." Hinamei shuddered at the memories of last time she tried to keep a secret from Itachi. He had quite an array of clever and unconventional methods.

"Fine, I'll tell you. But I think you'll want to sit down."

"Hinamei," he said, inclining his head towards her as if he didn't believe her. She stared warily at him for a while before he raised his brows impatiently.

She took in a deep breath and placed her hand back over her stomach. "Itachi," Hinamei shut her eyes as hard as she could and she said the words in a jumble. "I'm pregnant and told Sasuke and he told Shisui but I-"

"-What?" Itachi breathed out suddenly. Hinamei opened up her eyes, eyebrows a steep incline and her mouth a thin line of worry. His arms had become uncrossed and he was leaning against the wall, his eyes staring at the ceiling with a look of utter confusion across his face. "You're...pregnant?"

"Afraid so," she replied. Her heart sank a bit, she had thought Itachi would have been happier. But instead there he stood going into a catatonic state over it. In fact, she felt a bit stupid. But all those feelings were quickly doubted when Itachi blinked and suddenly out of nowhere began to laugh. "What?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him. He further ignored her and placed a hand to his head. "Why are you laughing at me?" Itachi shook his head and moved forward, placing his hands firmly against her cheeks. And then, without any warning, he fell forward and closed the gap between them.

Though at first taken back, Hinamei quickly fell into him. Her arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him closer. Itachi pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against hers. "This is wonderful," he whispered and he smiled. Kissing her against the lips quickly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Hinamei said quietly, her voice quivering with emotion. This was it. This is what every person strives to live for. Happiness. And suddenly, she couldn't hold the emotion back any longer.

And there was no shame in it this time.

* * *

He debated whether or not to wake her, either way he wanted her to stop crying.

Her eyes would scrunch up, her mouth would tighten and frown and her hands were restless on her lap. Next to her Yukio nodded in his sleep and behind him, Kisame had somewhere wandered in through the trees and hadn't returned. And Itachi watched it all unfold like a tragedy upon the stage. The only question he posed was when would it end? This was miserable and he wouldn't be able to stand it much longer.

He knew she was dreaming of him. And it was hurting her all the same because nothing good ever came out of a memory involving him. Itachi sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe if he didn't look he wouldn't notice.

Hinamei whimpered, no, she said something. Itachi's eyes snapped back open and he stared, disbelieving. Though it was faint, there was no doubt about it. Hinamei was smiling.

And if one could believe it, that only seemed to make things worse.

"Hinamei," Itachi said loud enough to stir Yukio out his sleep. But she didn't move. "Hinamei, wake up." Her eyes tightened behind her lids and she took a deep breath. Her hands strayed up to her face and she wiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Huh?" she tiredly opened her eyes and stared. Crying? Of course she was. "Sorry," she mumbled, not wanting to look Itachi in the face. "I didn't mean to."

"It's not your fault." Itachi spoke softly, but one glance at Yukio and whatever compassion he had in him seemed to dwindle away. "Do you need something?" His words came out harsh and Yukio, having realized he was staring, quickly looked away and occupied his sights with the ground. "Hn."

Itachi was feeling angry. At himself, at everything. So he stood up, brushing at his cloak when he froze suddenly. Hinamei, who was watching intently narrowed her eyes and stilled. "What is it?"

"Quiet," Itachi said darkly. He stood up tall and dropped something down from his sleeve into his hand. From behind him a fleeting shadow appeared out of nowhere. "Kisame," Itachi greeted quietly as the taller shinobi strode from the trees. He had blood lust in his eyes.

"You feel that too?" He inquired, a faint smile coming onto his thin lips. "Twenty-three of them. We're outnumbered it seems."

"I don't know these chakras." Itachi looked over his shoulder and nodded at Kisame. Hinamei wrapped her arms around herself and looked up into the trees. Someone was coming for them?

"I-" All eyes turned towards Yukio. His eyes were wide and petrified, he seemed to shrink into himself. "I know these chakras well. Their from my village, they've found me..." Yukio pushed off the ground and stood up, "you all need to leave!"

Kisame cut through the air with a cold laugh. "I think your underestimating my powers, I don't run away from a fight."

"You don't understand, these people-"

"Hinamei," her dark eyes snapped upwards towards Itachi. His slender fingers flipped open the side of his cloak and pulled from the sheath her katana. He tossed it up in the air and she caught it clumsily. "Watch the boy, don't let him escape."

"R-right." She awkwardly stood up and stepped in front of Yukio. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled. "It will be okay, I promise."

"Hinamei, listen to me-" His hands pulled desperately at Hinamei's sleeve but she shook her head and held a finger to her lips. Kisame pulled out his sword, his mouth stretched into a wide grin now as he looked upwards at the tree line and Itachi's sharingan was bright as he followed Kisame's stare.

Hinamei stared upwards with the rest of them. She was sore, still tired and her head was still pounding despite the couple hours of sleep she had fit in. But this was much more important. Important enough for Itachi to feel the need to involve her. And besides, she had something to protect. Two somethings. And no headache would stop that. "Itachi?" His scarlet gaze flickered over to her. "Be careful," he nodded curtly and paused for a small second before speaking again.

"You too, Hinamei."


	18. The Asymmetry of Battle and Blood

**A/N: **This is, officially, the last chapter. There's also an epilogue but it's really short so it hardly counts as a full chapter. Although, I did have an idea. See, if I end it at the epilogue it will be nineteen chapters long. And that whole odd number nonsense will bother me. No joke. So what I was thinking, as a sort of extra (and to make it an even twenty) my lovely reviewer alicelouise'x (check out her stories, she's wonderful) suggested I do a spin-off of my chapter seventeen 'what if' scenerio. What do you think?

Also, don't forget to vote on my poll if you haven't already! I've got a good idea as to which one is going to win but it's awfully close. And, because I know not a lot of people read author pages, let it be known that I've linked my tumblr on my main page. If you have questions or anything, ask there, So read on, enjoy the last chapter. I'm sorry if you cry, but if you do it means I did my job right. Thank you for everything, I hope you enjoy the (almost) final installment of Kingdom by the Sea.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen:

"The Asymmetry of Battle and Blood."

* * *

It was an oddly serene evening, the kind that Hinamei might have sat and admired otherwise. Through the patches of barren trees she could see the night blooming with milky, starlit skies. The moon, at three quarters full, sat low and large against the horizon. An inviting breeze swept through the clearing, undecidingly both warm and cool as the currents carried it round her head.

To her left, Itachi's eyes were wide with unyeilding concentration. Loose strands of hair fluttered around his pale visage and unblinkingly, he let his sights wander the looming tree line. Occasionally, his fingers would twitch over the steely cold kunai in his hand but otherwise, he was as poised as a waiting serpent.

"I'm getting impatient," Kisame spoke, breaking through the eerie silence that had settled. Hinamei caught her breath in her throat, the sudden sound startling her out of her waiting mania. "What do you say Itachi, should we cut them off?" He sounded annoyed and on edge.

"No," Itachi said quietly. "Not with them here." Kisame eyed Hinamei sourly and she hastily looked away, not caring to become the toy Kisame was so eagar to play with. With that being said they grew quiet once more. It seemed like a lifetime until another noise was made and when it happened, it shook her brave facade apart.

"I don't want to die," Yukio whimpered with a weak murmur. "Please, don't let them take me." Hinamei cocked her head towards him, half out of sympathy and half out of heavy curiousity for she could have sworn she heard him sobbing. When she caught sight of his tear streaked face, pale and without hope, her stomach jolted almost painfully. "Please..."

Ever more determined, she backed up. Her back pushed firmly up against his front side and his thin fingers weaved around the loose fabric of her blouse in an even tighter hold. And more than ever, she was reminded that he was still just a child. "Just-" her words caught in her throat and she swallowed, painfully closing her eyes momentarily. "Just keep your eyes closed."

She pictured herself then. Hiding in closets, under the blankets in the eye of a storm, trailing her mothers fading footsteps far from home...she didn't want to close her eyes anymore. This was her time to be brave now, face danger head on, stand up to storms, and keep close to those who were important. Somewhere inside, she knew she had what it took. And she searched and searched until a single word brought her back to the present.

"Three," Kisame muttered darkly. Desperately, she wanted her hands to stop shaking. She stood taller, widened her stance and held her blade upright. "Two..." She swallowed painfully, her mouth feeling dry and full. It was now or never. Do or die. She heard Yukio whimper behind her and she knew then that there really was no choice in this matter. "Now!"

As if on cue, a kunai tore straight through the air directly towards her. Her mouth opened wide but a voice that was not her own called out a frantic warning and her mind reeled into overdrive. Without a second to spare, she brought her arms higher and with a loud clink of metal the kunai swerved off course, jilted by the edge of her blade. "Were not here to fight," a low voice called out from above. Everyone's attention snapped in that direction, eyes alit with defense. "Give us the boy and we'll leave without having to resort to force." Hinamei's untrained eye had to search the trees to find the shadow of the man, but when her eyes caught sight of him her stomach gave a terrible lurch. He was a frightening image, dressed in black from head to toe. His visage, partly covered by a thick later of cloth, left only the two dark holes of his eyes visible. They were blacked out and wide, completely inhuman in appearance. It wasn't until she realized that strange silence had fallen over them once again did she manage to tear her eyes away from the monster.

Kisame had looked over at Itachi and Itachi had directed his heartless gaze beyond Hinamei towards Yukio. His blue eyes shut tightly and Hinamei felt the tugging on her shirt release. His hands were wrapped around his tousled blonde head, gritting teeth. None of them understood. If he was sent back with these people, he was surely going to die. A gruesome slow death only given as a relief after days of relentless interrogation and torture. He was have rather slit his own throat than allow himself to be bartered over to the enemy. His head swam with different exit strategies, all coming up hopelessly for he knew he couldn't outrun any of them. This was it, after all this time he had thought he had escaped, this was where it all ended. But suddenly, he saw a faint glimmer of hope in the form of the woman who stood defensively before him.

"You're not taking him!" Hinamei seemed to have found her voice again. She raised her weapon higher to declare they'd have to fight her to reach him.

"H-Hinamei..." Yukio stammered lightly.

"We don't bargain," Kisame said defiantly, seeming to get motivated by Hinamei's hasty declaration. "The boy is ours now, but if you want him so badly I'm happy to engage." Itachi's eyes hardened and Hinamei could tell he was feeling irked at everyone's sudden decision to fight. Of course, she knew he liked to avoid fighting at all costs but even she could tell he would have rather seen Yukio swept off just to carry on his way, his burden a little lighter.

"If you insist," the man in the trees hissed and with a sudden blur, he dissapeared in a plume of ashy smoke. Itachi's wide scarlet eyes were trailing the treeline, his mouth moving in mumbled words.

"We're surrounded," he finally said. "Take a corner."

Kisame moved automatically around, his eyes dancing with bloodlust. Clearly, he was having more fun than he'd had in a long time and with a sudden rush, he released a sickening amount of chakra. Hinamei cringed and had to force herself away from him just to escape the sudden jolt she had received from standing in his energy. She turned her back to both Itachi and Kisame and tightened her hold on her sword, damp with nervous sweat. "Yukio, stay out the way alright?"

"R-right." He stumbled over to a tree and flattened himself against it. Hinamei moved closer to him for she knew she'd be the only one keeping an eye for him as well as the enemy.

And then, it happened so suddenly that she thought at first she'd only seen a shadow in passing. With a strangled cry she slipped backwards and between her and Yukio stood a man much like the one that had spoken before, but this one was different. His skin seemed paler, waxlike up close and his eyes were narrowed with nothing but malicious intent. Fastened around his wrist was a steel cuff, protuding from it was a sharp blade longer than the stretch of her forearm. She blinked and he was gone.

In another fleeting second she felt the prick of something sharp at the base of her neck and she took in a deep breath. The sound of skin tearing followed by a gutteral noise burst from behind her and suddenly, a hand wrapped around her shoulder. "What good is a sword if you can't use it?" Itachi hissed into her hair.

She felt his presence leave and the sound of metal on metal. Turning, she saw both Kisame and Itachi engaged with two more.

It was a rare moment, feeling fleeting regret that she had not stayed true to her classes when she was younger. She could have been a shinobi, she could have done anything more than making flower crowns for boys that didn't even want them. She was slow and useless, and suddenly a wave of embarassment hit her for ever promising Yukio that she wouldn't let anything hurt him.

She couldn't even protect herself.

Another spiral of sound and she whipped around on her heel. The man before her wore no mask but she wished he had. His face was scarred and he was an unusual ashy grey color, his mouth was nothing more than a thin cut on his long face. He raised his hand and cocked his head and she could have sworn she saw what was an attempt at a smile. He charged at her and for once she didn't let her brain translate. She jutted forward, swinging her katana upwards in a large sweep. Easily, he blocked her advances and forced her sword back towards the ground. With swift feet, he spun around, steely blade and all. It was with fractions of an inch to spare did she force her head downwards. The whooshing sound from the force of his attack went sailing over her head. Her legs slid downwards and from the odd angle she was perched at, she swung.

It was luck, it had to be. For a second she froze, watching in slow time as the sharpened edge of her sword slid into the soft meat of his leg like water. And strangely, it began to dissolve. Her eyes shot upwards just in time to see the man standing before her burst into a plume of thick smoke. She reeled back up, forcing herself backwards away from the thickening cloud. Her back came into contact with Itachi's. "It's a clone."

"How am I supposed to get a real one then?" As Itachi's kunai slid into the fleshy side of a ninja's neck she could have sworn she heard him scoff.

"You've got the same blood I do Hinamei, you figure it out." A delayed spray of blood shot forward, splattering Itachi and he spat at the ground. "To your left."

With quick reflexes she guarded her open side, stopping the impact of a spindly sharp tool. "What does blood have to-" She bit her tongue. How could she have forgotten? Hinamei snapped her eyes shut for a brief second, reopening them to find the world moving in smoother motion. Of the ten men that were standing round them only two of them had recognizable chakra flow. Her scarlet eyes narrowed and she ducked in time to avoid the strike of a clone's knife. Feeling more confident, she strode around another clone and jabbed her blade forward towards the real one.

He was swift, but not fast enough to avoid the tip of her strike. Blood streamed out of his wound and the man slapped a hand to his shoulder. Her sword was raised to strike but not before a kunai came hurtling from her right, lodging itself into the temple of the man before her. She glanced over, meeting Kisame's frightening grin. "Don't mention it," he said, sounding more alive and vibrant than she'd heard him yet. In awe, she watched him glide in a quick two step pattern, swinging a weapon that was half stripped of its wrapping, reaveling something even more frightening than its weilder.

As it made contact with a shinobi's skin, he gave a startling cry and he dropped to his knees. She turned away just in time to avoid watching the brutal slaugher she knew Kisame had enjoyed delivering.

But a second too late, for when she turned she was met with a hard strike from a man's fist straight to her temple. Her eyes screwed shut and she staggered forward, blinded by the intense pain inside her head. Unwillingly, her grip on her sword slipped and it clattered to the ground. She heard the distinct clink of metal emerging from a secret slot and through watering eyes, she watched his shirt stretch as he raised his arm. Without waiting to see if anyone was going to come to her aid, she used as much of her energy as she could to thrust herself forward, wrapping her arms around the man's torso. "Watch out Yukio!" She cried and forced her legs to move forward. The shinobi hit the tree trunk with a brilliant force and his breath was stolen from his lungs in a loud release.

Her slender fingers frantically clawed at the enemy's waist until her finger had looped the handle of the kunai. She stumbled upright and backwards before driving the long weapon straight into the chest of the smoke shinobi.

Hinamei was driven speechless. She stepped backwards, oblivious to whatever blind spots she was leaving open as she stared in horror at the now limp figure of the bleeding man before her.

She had never killed another human being before.

And whatever she had thought it would be, it wasn't. "He's dead," she muttered to herself. Her fingers outstretched towards the shell of what used to be a human until she faltered. What had she done? The familiar stinging of tears touched at her eyes and she hurriedly brushed them away. She was crying over the enemy. Over a person who wanted to steal and harm someone whom she had sworn to protect. Surely his life was worth less than Yukio's or Itachi's?

Hinamei stumbled backwards, slowly looking over to see Itachi involved with two men. Elegant and natural in his motions, he didn't hesitate like she did. When their bodies crumpled he paid no heed to it and instead turned to face the next. Was that what she had strived to become for so long? If that was strength, she wanted none of it.

A sudden urge forced her to move forward, stepping over the crumpled heaps of lifeless bodies that were beginning to litter the floor. Her heavy eyes fell on Yukio, pale and at a loss. her hand outstretched once more, ready to take his and leave. Find a new home, start a new life and get away from all this chaos.

They could slip away into nothing, like smoke in the open air, forever.

Her scarlet eyes widened in realization. Smoke. Yukio was rigid with terror as a dark plume of smoke drifted in front of him and slowly, a tall figure began to form from within it's veil. Stricken with fear, she stole a glance at Itachi and Kisame, both absorbed in a heated battle with their own adversary.

Was this her moment? Her chance to be brave with eyes wide open? All her life, had it been just a steep climb leading up to this? It made sense at the time. It was all that made sense. Just Yukio. Hinamei rushed forward, snatching up a wirey weapon from the back of a flanked body and she raised it high above her head. Sliding in between Yukio and the man that now loomed above them, she stopped his attack with her weapon right in time. His eyes narrowed and he pressed harder against her weak hold. Her arm was shaking, she wouldn't be able to hold him much longer.

And then, right as he appeared, he was gone.

Her weapon slipped from her hand and she felt with certainty that she was going to faint. Weakly, she fell against the tree, standing over Yukio's body he looked up at her with fearful eyes, his mouth moving in frantic words that she couldn't quite make out through the thick haze closing in around her. But despite it all, she smiled as best she could.

At first, she didn't understand why he wasn't smiling back. She had saved him right? Everything was alright now, wasn't it? Yukio's hand shot upwards and wrapped around her shirt as if to pull her down. She resisted, wanting him to understand she couldn't quit now. Not while the war was still being waged. But then, as a blinding pain shook her very being, she understood it all.

It would never be over. She was born into chaos and inevitably, she was going to die into as well.

* * *

He heard her name very clearly. It was being shouted out by Kisame, and Itachi, in his attempts to finish off the last of the shinobi, couldn't understand why Kisame off all people was shouting warnings.

In front of him, blood spilled. Behind him, Kisame was still shouting. And somewhere beside him, if he wasn't mistaken, someone was crying.

* * *

It began with her hands.

Long, slender appendages flexed outwards and trembling, unfocused and clumsy. Her shoulders shook with a slight tremor that ran the length of her body and her eyes were lofty and wet. The only stretch of color amongst her palatte was the flow of scarlet exuding from her parted lips.

In a slow nod, her eyes closed. She couldn't focus right, something was off. She tried to listen to her surroundings but it was useless. She had been swallowd by a haze of nothingness. Emptiness. Loneliness.

And yet, this place was almost comforting. Like a soft breeze in an otherwise smothered space, she could have stayed forever in this dream. Despite her growing numbness, she could feel a smile on her lips. Her eyes squinting behind their lids. her hair, rustling against the exposed skin on her neck and cheek. And it all felt so _right._

But she had to go back. People were depending on her, most of all, they needed her. Hinamei struggled to open her eyes, slowly blinking past the vast ocean of unconscioussness. The first thing she laid her eyes on was Yukio, so obviously beyond words she felt the need to speak first. "Are you okay?"

"H-Hinamei..." His bright blue eyes were wide and startled, ringed with panic, "w-what have you done?" A soft sound forced a breath inwards, like water dripping out a leaking spigot. But more than that, it was warm. His unfocused eyes trailed downwards to the pale exposed skin of his leg. It was splattered with something dark. Something that was running trails down towards the underside of his ankle. Shaking fingers extended, he dabbed at the stain.

It was wet, scarlet, and smelled like rusting metal.

_"Blood..."_ His eyes slowly slid upwards. _"You're...bleeding..."_

Though her hands were still shaking, she let her hands fall to her stomach. A small sigh was stifled in her throat, "It's okay, I can't feel much." Gingerly, her fingers touched at the weapopn lodged in her stomach. More than anything, she felt sore. And tired, so very tired. Another set of fingers touched at her hands and without a second thought she spread her fingers just wide enough to let Itachi's in.

"I-I can fix this." A spare smile found her lips and she forced her eyes to face him. Now that she focused, his hand was clammy and his eyes were wide and fearful. He was wearing a look she hadn't seen for nearly ten years and she felt her smile fade away. He looked so _weak_ standing there shaking. "Hinamei, stop moving."

"Really, Itachi..." Behind them, Kisame stood in the distance with his head down, eyes cocked upwards watching it all, expressionless. "You know as well as I do-" her words were interrupted by a rattling cough and she groaned.

"I don't understand. Dammit! What were you thinking?" His fingers slipped from hers and his head fell, resting on the side of her shoulder. "I'm not ready for this. No, not yet. You can't go." His voice was strangled, torn with emotion and regret. There was little she could force out, her body wasn't responding like it should have. Slowly, she moved her hand over until she felt his limp hand and softly, she took it back in hers. She could feel the frantic pulse of his heart and she inclined her head next to his.

"Itachi, I want to sleep now." He pulled back, searching her face desperately. Slowly, he shook his head. "...please."

"If you really wanted me to, I'd run away with you. But you have to give me the chance." He said quietly, pleadingly.

"Where would we go?" Her hushed voice asked, miles away.

"Anywhere you wanted." She couldn't stand anymore, but before she hit the ground, Itachi caught her. Against the tree, she leaned her head back and held out a weak hand to Yukio. Without her having to say a word, he understood and placed his hand in hers and squeezed tightly. He was numb.

"I'd love that," she mused. Her head was spinning and the soft lull of that far away place was calling her back. And soon, she'd be helpless to its pull. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Did I ever make you proud? That's all I've ever really wanted. To be just like you. Well, almost." A small laugh left her colorless lips. "It's silly but I guess it still means something to me."

"Hinamei I-" Itachi shut his eyes. He had seen countless people die, some at the hands of him and some not. But this was on a whole different level. She was suffering and he was helpless to cease it. And even worse than that, she was leaving him. "I've always been proud." He forced his gaze back onto her. "I envy you even, I always have."

"Then dying isn't so bad." Yukio took in a sharp breath, her grip released and her hand slowly fell open. "I'm sorry, I don't think I can stay awake much longer. I'm so tired..."

And suddenly, right in front of him, Itachi watched everything he knew fade away into nothing. On the edge of that bottomless cliff, Itachi closed his eyes and finally just let himself fall.


	19. Epilogue: Everlasting

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone that's reviewed, favorited, alerted and read this story. It means the world to me that you've all stuck through this for so long. I hope that this epilogue gives some sort of closure to this story, as best as it could. Expect the bonus chapter in around a week. And again, thank you for all the endless support :)

* * *

Epilogue: Everlasting

* * *

If ever there was a time that he would crave the company of another human being, this would be that moment.

His arms were raw from relentless scrubbing. Scrubbing away dirt and grime from a handmade grave, blood, some of it his own but most of it not. And no matter how many times he returned to the water bank, he never seemed to completely rid himself of all that filth.

Having sent Kisame back to report in, Itachi had felt that this was something he had to do alone. He owed that much too her at least. And now, after what seemed like eons, he had finished what he had felt obligated to do.

He had buried her that night.

Alone, he had lifted her battered, lifeless body and set it deep into the hole that he had dug himself. And alone, he had put her to rest, as best he could.

Yet, it hadn't eased his turmoil in the slightest. His eyes refused to settle on anything but her unmarked grave, and throughout it all, he couldn't bring himself to cry. It made him wonder if he was even human anymore, if he had any heart left in his body to break for standing over her he didn't feel a thing.

Maybe he had felt nothing because he was nothing without her.

Or maybe, he was just too tired.

As he sat himself against a withering tree, he found himself rembering moments of his past. Or maybe it was better called regretting. He recalled fields of flowers, palliative sunsets, a slender girl with untamed hair and an infectious smile. However, the majority of his memories weren't ones of her smiling. She was much too angry with him most of the time, but even still, sometime those memories were the most important ones.

She had once told him, out of anger, that he was weak. At the time he had done nothing but laugh at her. Mostly because he felt that someone like her, who had never known what it was like to sacrifice something for the good of the outcome or feel the pay off of years and years of labor and work, couldn't possibly understand the black and white of weakness and strength. But she had been serious. She had given him a look that he had never been able to place and up until now, he hadn't bothered with returning to this trivial, menail memory.

But now he understood.

It was pity, the look she so shamelessly threw his way was her way of telling him, 'I feel sorry for you.'

She ended the argument by telling him so bluntly that he didn't need to do everything alone. That sometimes, those who had the nerve to ask for help turned out to be the strongest people.

He wished, beyond anything, that she was still alive to tell him that. He needed it.

The sun was coming up now and it felt so strange that time would continue to move forward even though she wasn't a part of it anymore.

Itachi closed his aching eyes.

_I'm sorry that you had to fall in love with someone like me..._

_I'm sorry I couldn't give you everything..._

_I'm sorry for not being able to see this coming sooner..._

He would never come back to this place, he didn't deserve to. And only in time did he prey he got what he deserved for everything he'd done, he'd welcome hell with open arms when the time came. If only he didn't have to wait so long...

Above him, even the birds were crying, a melancholic note that had him shaking, feeling weak.

Maybe he was still human after all. He pulled his knees up and let his head fall. Where no one could see him break down. And for the last time, he cried.

* * *

Some days later, pale eyes traveled the length of the black water.

Everything was a blur, the seam where the sky met the land, it was nothing anymore but a great, beautiful blur. Like her, all meaning in his life had left when she had taken her last breath. He had lost her, and now, there seemed to be nothing left to lose.

Another drink, another forced swallow. He couldn't do this alone and for once, he finally understood where Hinamei had found the courage to wake up every day.

He couldn't blame her.

The bottle was almost empty, and when he tipped it towards his mouth again he begged for every last pearl of poison to follow. The bottle fell loudly when he dropped it to the dock. His heavy eyes fell shut and he took a small shuddering breath. It had been hard at first, leaving Hinamei's body with the one person whose fault it had been, but he had been left with little choice. "I'll bury her," Itachi had said to him. Coldly, quietly. "Go home."

Home. A laughable concept. He returned to the only place that had ever felt remotely close to the definition of home. Maybe it was better that way. He wouldn't have been able to watch the only person who meant anything to him anymore be thrown away in some undeserving hole in the middle of nowhere. But he regretted not being able to give a proper goodbye. Or a thank you.

Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but everything seemed so much farther away now.

And that closeness, he yearned for it. For anything to shock him, stun him, _anything_. He forced his eyes open and on impulse, stood up tall and unsteadily. He took a deep breath and his fingers tugged at his shirt. Over his head, he dropped it to the dock. The rest of his clothes followed until he was standing there in the dead of night, completely himself.

He could feel his head swimming. His skin prickled in the night air and he took a deep breath. In and out.

And then, with as much force as he could manage, he ran down the length of the dock and threw himself into the freezing, dark water.

His mouth opened wide in shock, a torrent of bubbles escaped his parted, pale lips and he shut his eyes. His arms were stiff and sore but it felt _so_ right. So powerful. He let the water swallow him and he sunk deeper and deeper until the light of the moon was nothing more than sloshing water above him.

Down at the bottom of the sea, he finally felt at peace. His chest was aching but it was something, wasn't it? His life still had meaning, didn't it?

He pushed. His arms climbing, his legs kicking at the bottomless void around him. He forced his way back up to the surface and he broke through, taking in the air like he had never breathed before. And in the back of his mind, he knew he'd make it. There was something to be said about feeling so righteously alive, the world might have been cruel and dark at times, but this...

This was everlasting.


End file.
